Aston Villa player ratings as Donyell Malen double delivers Premier League win over Burnley
Villa make it back-to-back wins in the league with a 2-1 victory at Villa Park
Four wins from four in all competitions didn’t seem on the cards before one win from one, but here we are at the start of the October international break with a good run of form to enjoy.
Aston Villa did well to reach the October international break without any lost or torn shirts, nor any broken bones, after this classically Burnley encounter.
I’ve written a lot this season about possession and control being two different things, and about Villa not always having both. Against Burnley, at least until the visitors scored, they had both.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 6
Saved well from Quilindschy Hartman in the tenth minute but the Burnley left-back was offside. Superb low save from a deflected shot from Josh Cullen in the 35th minute and barely had anything else to do until Burnley pulled one back with a header from a corner that he could have stopped. Booked for dissent in stoppage time.
Matty Cash - 6
Characteristically conservative with the ball at times with the benefit of not turning it over easily. Good all-round defensive graft from a player with the bit between his teeth this season. A loose header with quarter of an hour to go led to the sequence of corners from which Burnley scored.
Struck a nice shot from distance in the second half that needed saving after deflection. Substituted late.
Ezri Konsa - 8
Effortless in possession and smooth defensively. He was Ezri Konsa. Forced a save from Martin Dúbravka with a firm header from a corner.
Pau Torres - 8
Intelligent positioning and effective one-touch passing out of defensive situations. Stepped in to pick off a pass more than once. A good example of 90-minute front-foot defending.
Lucas Digne - 7
Fired in a vicious early corner that almost came off. With Villa on the front foot, Kyle Walker was handled without much fuss. Caused Burnley a problem with an excellent ball recovery very early in the second half.
Yellow carded for a clumsy foul in the second half. Drew a good save with a minute left.
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Boubacar Kamara - 7
Caught in possession twice in an otherwise quiet first quarter of the game, followed by a glorious through ball to Donyell Malen for the opening goal. Tracked back well to keep Burnley out after a turnover in the third minute of the second half.
John McGinn - 6
Useful defensive work in support of Cash in the first few minutes. Not in the game as much after better performances in the middle. Snatched at a shot from the edge of the box after a well-worked corner ten minutes into the second half. Substituted with quarter of the game remaining.
Lamare Bogarde - 7
Confident early touches after returning to the starting eleven. Carried the ball with confidence and drew a yellow card for Lyle Foster. Useful contributor on the cover and a handy ball-winner in the middle. Impressive mobility in midfield. Last-minute substitution.
Morgan Rogers - 6
Primarily played to the left with Malen off Ollie Watkins and often with him in more of a two. Quiet in the first half until a one-two with McGinn that might have earned Villa a penalty.
Connected well with Malen just before the break and the handful of moments when he did get on the ball looked a little slicker than previous matches, particularly late in the first half.
Fabulous assist for Malen’s second goal and came close to scoring his first of the season. Had a close-range shot blocked and a curler from 25 yards saved.
Donyell Malen - 9
Worked hard to get close to Watkins as often as possible. Offered some nice creative play in the hole. Brilliant movement, impressive strength and a great low finish to make it 1-0 in the 25th minute. Blasted in a lethal, thumping second in the 63rd.
Showed good pace and incision to come close to a second before half time. Didn’t play as a traditional 9 or 10 but made the contributions of both. Fantastic display but knackered after 80 minutes and substituted.
Ollie Watkins - 7
Solid early hold-up play and looked to make his usual smart runs in behind. Superb turn in midfield to get Villa away in the middle of the first half and played an underrated role in Malen’s first goal.
Should have doubled the lead on the turn in first-half stoppage time. Substituted in the middle of the second half at the end of another decent shift.
Substitutes
Emi Buendía (for Watkins, 66) - Came on. Worked hard. Got booked. Got elbowed in the face. Went off as a concussion sub. Did fine. 6
Evann Guessand (for McGinn, 67) - Added width on the right as Malen moved up front. Turned defence into attack single-handedly with two minutes left. 6
Ross Barkley (for Malen, 84) - Late substitute on his return to the team. N/A
Victor Lindelöf (for Cash, 84) - Late substitute. N/A
Amadou Onana (for Bogarde, 90) - Returned from injury in the last minute. N/A
Ian Maatsen (for Buendía, 90+9) - Stoppage-time concussion substitute. N/A