Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw against Brentford on Saturday, with Emiliano Buendia opening his account for the club with a wonderful strike.
Villa fell behind early on as Ivan Toney put the visitors ahead with a smart finish, albeit Dean Smith and his players will be disappointed with the way that we defended in the lead up to the goal.
READ MORE: Aston Villa team news: Why Mings, McGinn and Jacob Ramsey miss out vs Brentford
Nevertheless, the response was positive in an enthralling first half as Buendia struck from the edge of the box to draw us level, before both teams cancelled each other out in a scrappy second half and had to settle for a point apiece.
Villa player ratings vs Brentford
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Not much for our No.1 to do in truth and was left exposed by his defence for the goal. Produced one or two smart saves and was commanding as ever of his box.
Matty Cash, 6 – Crucial contribution to our goal as his run down the right side of the box forced the Brentford defence to shift just for a split-second and opened up space for Buendia to score. As energetic as ever but lacked quality on the ball in his distribution while he got caught out a couple of times defensively too.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Solid shift from our stand-in skipper. Will be disappointed along with his defensive teammates that they didn’t get closer to Toney for the goal, but importantly now it’s hoped that his injury blow isn’t serious.
Axel Tuanzebe, 6.5 – Never easy coming in after a lack of playing time to replace such a key figure like Tyrone Mings, but it was a solid shift from Tuanzebe who defended well for the most part, Brentford’s goal aside, in what was a decent performance.
Matt Targett, 6 – Back in the starting XI in the league after his poor showing at Watford, it was an improvement from Targett in this one as he looked fitter and switched on throughout. Still not at his best, but hopefully getting there.
Douglas Luiz, 7 – Makes such a crucial difference in midfield with his composure and technical quality on the ball, as he manages to keep play ticking while offering presence in midfield. A positive display without ever doing anything extravagant.
Carney Chukwuemeka, 6.5 – For a first Premier League start, the 17-year-old put in a good showing as he settled well and didn’t look out of place. Will be delighted to have received the opportunity, and his confidence will no doubt grow after that which should result in us seeing more from him in the future.
Emiliano Buendia, 7.5 – A stunning goal as he scored his first for Villa with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box. His influence is growing on the side as he was more involved in our build-up play this weekend and as his fitness and understanding with his teammates improve, he will make an even bigger impact.
Ashley Young, 6.5 – Showed his versatility to fill in given our absentees, and along with his experience it proved to be vital. That said, it wasn’t his best performance and Villa will undoubtedly be much more effective when the squad is fully-fit and key players are back available to take this role in midfield.
Anwar El Ghazi, 7 – Struggled at times to get past his man but put in a hard-working shift as he tried to offer a threat down the left wing and did so with some dangerous crosses into the box. Also tracked back well to show good work-rate as he has to impress now given the level of competition at the club.
Danny Ings, 6 – Starved of quality service throughout the game and so wasn’t particularly effective. Made good runs down the channels and offered good movement off the ball in general, while he did have one big chance saved which he might feel disappointed he didn’t convert.
Substitutes
Marvelous Nakamba, 6 – A questionable first change from Smith as it seemed a little too negative in the context of the game. Nevertheless, offered stability in midfield and a bit of control over proceedings.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Still well short of being fully fit but a good run out to get minutes in his legs and had a couple of attempts on goal to show that he is going to be a major boost when back firing in the starting XI.
Kortney Hause, N/A
