Aston Villa player ratings after nerve-wracking Premier League win at West Ham
Phew!
After suffering key defensive injuries and coming up with the worst possible start at the London Stadium, Aston Villa recovered to win their ninth game in a row in all competitions.
Villa beat West Ham United 3-2 in the Premier League and it was truly exhausting, rubbish and brilliant at the same time. They got over the line again but it was a case of finding a piece of magic to turn one point into three against a poor side.
Unai Emery has now led his team to a sixth consecutive league win, the first time Villa have achieved that milestone in the Premier League.
Was Lucas Paquetá on the pitch?
Here are the ratings:
Marco Bizot - 6
Nothing he could do about West Ham’s first and second goals with the Villa defensive effort botching the job in front of him.
Matty Cash - 5
Barely involved in the first half and stretches of the second. Occasionally called upon to defend and largely did it well but there wasn’t much opportunity to get forward.
Booked in the first half for fouling Crysencio Summerville.
Ezri Konsa - 4
A poor end to a disappointing week. Horrific mistake in possession in his own box inside the first 30 seconds and was punished by West Ham’s opening goal. Seemed to brush it off quickly as Villa settled but too slow to step out for West Ham’s second.
Victor Lindelöf - 7
Reliable with the ball. Clean short passing to maintain possession without taking any risks to feed Ian Maatsen by opening up on his weaker foot. Made a couple of important defensive interventions in what might be his third-best position.
Ian Maatsen - 6
Able to drive into empty space in front of him as a result of Morgan Rogers keeping Aaron Wan-Bissaka honest and Jarrod Bowen being a wide striker without a number 9. Defended well one-on-one against Wan-Bissaka when required but struggled more with Bowen when West Ham put the pressure on. Replaced by Lucas Digne for the last 15 minutes.
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Boubacar Kamara - 6
Neat in possession at the start of the match and looked to carry the ball through midfield to get Villa on the front foot. His passing was a useful source of control in a game in which control was at a premium.
Also booked in the first half for tripping Summerville.
Amadou Onana - 6
Combative in the early going in an effort to get Villa into the game. Dominant in the middle in the first half. Substituted after taking a knock in the middle of the second half.
Youri Tielemans - 7
Received the ball well and served as a calm presence in midfield. Good feet under pressure to get Villa out of trouble after a free kick in the first half. Very smart cross for the second Villa goal after winning the ball back in transition. Moved seamlessly into midfield after Onana went off.
John McGinn - 6
Sensational in-swinging cross from the right to set up Villa’s equaliser, a Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal. Great tracking back at times and when he was able to win the ball he tended to use it well going the other way. Powerful run to create an attack with 17 minutes left.
Morgan Rogers - 9
Started the game with much more width even than previous appearances on the left. It was a tactically astute choice that demanded he defend from the front and he sought to provide from the flank almost as a traditional winger too. Went close with a curling shot just before half time.
Top quality on the ball, both when running with it and when passing it. Calm finish for Villa’s second equaliser and an absolutely unreal one from outside the box for the third goal. Unplayable thereafter and almost got his hat-trick.
Ollie Watkins - 3
The same old story in the first half and it deteriorated into a dismal performance. Forced Mavrapanos into an own goal but Villa just couldn’t do enough going forward to squeeze a performance from him and he struggled to get his feet moving when he was involved. Final ball was lacking in some promising situations.
Substituted with quarter of an hour to go and frustration beginning to show.
Substitutes
Donyell Malen (for Onana, 64) - Lively. Stung the palms of the goalkeeper with a shot immediately. 6
Lucas Digne (for Maatsen, 75) - Came on late in the game and put in a shift on the left. Fired in a shot with five minutes left but it was saved well. 6
Emi Buendía (for Watkins, 75) - Came on a few minutes before Villa’s third goal, after which the brief changed. Dug in and did the job. 6