Aston Villa player ratings after battling Premier League win at Leeds United
Morgan Rogers scores twice as Villa come from behind to win yet again
Winning matches after international breaks is a useful habit for any Premier League team.
Aston Villa have a positive recent record at Elland Road and put the gloss on a less than stellar away performance with two excellent goals and three hard-earned points against Leeds United.
Leeds played a physical game as expected and Villa didn’t deal with it brilliantly in the first half. I see no problem with that approach from the opposition as long as it’s permitted for both teams. Leeds were given more leeway than Villa today.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 6
Both bullied and weak – deliberately so, as I saw it – under a loose ball for the goal that made it 1-0 to Leeds in the kind of situation where he’s supposed to be at his best. Good save from Brenden Aaronson before the break and an excellent late stop to keep it 2-1.
Matty Cash - 6
Crucial tackling back in the early minutes. Terrific cross after 25 minutes to create a chance for Ollie Watkins. Smacked a left-footer wide just before half time and played an underrated role in Villa’s equaliser just after it. Followed up with some good one-on-one defending against Noah Okafor.
Ezri Konsa - 6
Crucial block on the edge of the box early in the second half. Otherwise nice and solid – par for the course.
Pau Torres - 5
Outpaced on the right by Lukas Nmecha to put Villa under pressure in the middle of the first half but quickly demonstrated some of his long passing ability too. Not his sort of game, if I’m being generous.
Lucas Digne - 5
Willing to put a foot in but no impact going forward. Substituted at half time.
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Boubacar Kamara - 6
Grafting off the ball in the middle but a little too casual in possession at times. Seemed to find his way a bit more after the break.
Youri Tielemans - 6
Clearly up for the physical battle in place of Amadou Onana. Not perfect in possession but did well under lots of pressure in a congested midfield. Looked capable of getting Leeds turned with a pass in behind and grew in influence as the game opened up in the second half. Substituted late on.
John McGinn - 6
Villa slightly improved in the first half as McGinn started to get his arse involved in possession. Booked seven minutes into the second half. The referee had his card marked from the start of the game. Substituted in the middle of the second period.
Emi Buendía - 5
Energetic and determined but much less effective and more profligate in possession than recent matches. Substituted at half time.
Morgan Rogers - 8
Bang at it from the word go but Villa were unable to get him on the ball after going a goal behind early. When he was involved, he was difficult to defend against. Fabulous finish from close range to equalise at 1-1 and stepped up another gear after scoring.
Dreadful blind pass immediately after a double substitution for Leeds but it came to nothing. Moments later, produced a fantastic knuckle-ball free kick to put Villa in front. Ridiculous technique and a great goal.
Ollie Watkins - 4
Slow off the mark when played in by McGinn in the middle of the first half. Outmuscled in the Leeds box and found it impossible to give himself a shooting opportunity.
Went close with an uncharacteristic curler from outside the box in first-half stoppage time and forced a save nine minutes into the second half. Replaced with 22 minutes to play.
Substitutes
Ian Maatsen (for Digne, HT) - Tracked back to dispossess Aaronson in a dangerous spot. 6
Donyell Malen (for Buendía, HT) - Vicious ball across the face of goal to make Villa’s equaliser. Nice effort on the turn with 20 minutes to go. Threw his weight around where it mattered. Not far from another terrific solo goal late in the day. 7
Jadon Sancho (for Watkins, 68) - Whatever is the opposite of an impact substitute, we saw it this afternoon. Villa need more from him. 4
Ross Barkley (for McGinn, 68) - Involved immediately in making Villa move and playing out of tight spaces. Sharply won a free kick when he was fouled on the edge of the box. 6
Lamare Bogarde (for Tielemans, 84) - Late substitute. N/A