Aston Villa player ratings as disallowed Tammy Abraham goal carries a brutal cost against Brentford
The VAR intervened where he had no business doing so and Villa succumbed to a third home defeat in the Premier League
It was an awful afternoon at Villa Park, where some bad luck, atrocious refereeing and determined opposition defending saw all three points head back to London.
Aston Villa could have done without the officials letting Brentford off the hook when they conceded the equalising goal.
Villa started slowly but limited Brentford in the first half before the visitors went down to ten men and took the lead with a bit of a fortuitous one that was ultimately finished very sharply.
Unai Emery did see his team find the net but the video assistant referee pulled the game back the entire length of the pitch to a ball that looked out of play by Villa’s corner flag but cannot possibly have been ‘factually’ out to overturn the on-field decision.
Despite lots of pressure in the second half, Villa came up short creatively against a low block that might not have been quite so low had the ludicrous call not been made.
I don’t go for referees a lot but this was shambolic.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 7
Smartly off his line to clean up in the first minute and was confident with his handling and punching from most of Brentford’s dead balls. No obvious fault for the Brentford goal.
Matty Cash - 7
Typically solid on-on-one defending and had to show his physical strength to make sure of it. Made an important block after quarter of an hour – Kevin Schade fluffed his shot from a long throw-in but it was still likely to cause a problem. Drew a red card from Schade late in the first half.
Hit the target with a shot under pressure in the middle of the second half, by which time he was essentially an attacker.
Ezri Konsa - 7
Showed some neat footwork under intense pressure from Igor Thiago. Very controlled in possession generally. Shanked a volley off-target from a free kick after 30 minutes. If he backed himself to shoot from outside the box, he could have had ten goals in the second half.
Pau Torres - 5
Marshalled a very good defensive line in the first half. Tended to offload to Douglas Luiz rather than deploy his own passing abilities out of the back, marking a small tactical tweak for Villa. Perhaps unfortunate that his clearance found Dango Ouattara for a goal out of the blue to put Brentford ahead but was playing two forwards onside.
Ian Maatsen - 7
Volleyed over from a corner in the middle of the first half – not an easy chance but he’s capable of hitting the target from it. Quietly put in a cracking defensive shift in the first half and tidy on the ball too.
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Lamare Bogarde - 6
First involvement with the ball came to nothing but positioning out of possession was good. Looked useful when he was able to get turned on the ball and face the opposition goal. Substituted at half time with Villa looking to topple ten men.
Douglas Luiz - 7
Straight in as a set piece specialist. Linked nicely with Emi Buendía as Villa grew into the game, and looked capable of going past a player and creating something in the attacking third. Fantastic feet to get him out of trouble at times. Picked Konsa out with a great free kick after half an hour.
Contributed well defensively, not least when Villa moved to a one-man midfield.
Jadon Sancho - 6
Infrequently involved in possession but always tidy and often looked dangerous. Shifted to the left in the second half and whipped in the shot that Tammy Abraham followed in to for what should have been the equalising goal. Substituted with 13 minutes to go.
Emi Buendía - 6
Tenacious when protecting the ball with his back to goal and without the ball, and slick as Villa sought to build the play. Scuffed his first shot on goal after he was teed up by Abraham.
Morgan Rogers - 7
Picked up a knock in the first minute but quickly shook it off. Unreal quality on the ball, demonstrated in his own defensive third as well as further upfield.
Tammy Abraham - 7
Raced through in the 15th minute to meet Rogers’ through-ball but Caoimhin Kelleher was equal to it to deny him a debut goal. Hassled the Brentford goalkeeper as often as he could and it cost him a sore one just before the half-hour.
Superbly followed in to tuck in what should have been the equaliser on 48 minutes, after which the game state limited his impact.
Substitutes
Leon Bailey (for Bogarde, HT) - Came on determined to affect the game and looked as if he might. Did some excellent defensive work on the few occasions Brentford got out of their half on the break. 6
Harvey Elliott (for Sancho, 77) - Late substitute. N/A