Aston Villa secured a 2-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday night, with goals from Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins sealing the victory.
Villa were dominant in the first half, and that good play was rewarded with the opening goal of the game as Watkins’ lay-off saw Ramsey go it alone from practically the half-way line before unleashing a brilliant finish.
READ MORE: Five big talking points as resolute Villa eventually breached by Liverpool
The hosts responded well in the second half and Villa were made to work to hold on to our lead, but fortunately the win was wrapped up in the closing stages with Watkins tapping home Carney Chukwuemeka’s excellent cross.
Villa now face Burnley at home on Saturday, with Steven Gerrard hoping his side continue their impressive form since he took charge.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Norwich City:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Didn’t have a great deal to do throughout the game such was the impressive nature of our defensive performance, but up to the task when called into action.
Matty Cash, 8 – Another big shift down that right flank. Defended well for the most part and got forward whenever possible to offer us width and a threat in the final third. Produced some great deliveries but couldn’t find a finishing touch.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Classy as always as he read play well and broke Norwich attacks up. Didn’t need to be at his very best in this one but produced another top display.
Tyrone Mings, 8 – Commanding at the back in a no-nonsense performance. Defended diligently, passing was accurate and won countless headers in his one-on-one duels.
Matt Targett, 7 – Busier of the two full-backs as Norwich tried to push forward down their right side, but Targett was up to the task and shut them out for the most part. Also had a couple of chances to get on the scoresheet.
John McGinn, 8 – Gerrard will be delighted with his midfield engine as he put in another excellent shift. Was crucial off the ball in our pressing and defensive shape to contain Norwich and frustrate them, while his distribution was excellent as he also carried a direct goalscoring threat too.
Douglas Luiz, 8 – Kept things ticking over in midfield for us with his intelligent and probing passes, adapted well to going back to that defensive role in front of the backline with Marvelous Nakamba out injured. A good sign as we wait for news on how long the Zimbabwean International will be ruled out for.
Jacob Ramsey, 8.5 – A superb performance from Villa’s youth product, as he capped it off with a stunning goal to break the deadlock. Growing in confidence and displaying his quality more consistently, Ramsey is starting to show why so many have high hopes for him and if he can add goals consistently to his game, he’s going to be a pivotal player for us.
Emiliano Buendia, 8 – A classy influence in our build up play with his quick, snappy passes and flicks round the corner to open up Norwich. Will hopefully carry a more serious goal threat moving forward as that is still the missing piece, but his involvement is certainly growing and he’s looking the part week by week.
Ollie Watkins, 7 – Worked tirelessly throughout the game as always as our first line of defence, pressing and applying pressure on the Norwich backline. Teed up Ramsey well for his goal with a clever lay-off into his path, and was rewarded with a goal himself as he tapped home late on.
Ashley Young, 7 – Put in an important shift for the team as always, showing quality with the ball at his feet at times while working hard off the ball to help us take control of the game.
Substitutions
Danny Ings, 6 – Good to see him come on and get minutes, didn’t quite have the impact hoped for, but nonetheless, he’s still building up his fitness and will be an important option for Gerrard.
Carney Chukwuemeka, 7 – Did a really good job on Billy Gilmour with Gerrard noting post-match that he wanted to stop the Norwich midfielder getting too many touches in the latter stages. Capped it off with a wonderful assist for Watkins’ goal.
Axel Tuanzebe, N/A
