Aston Villa player ratings after woeful Premier League defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers
Villa looked like anything but a Champions League outfit and manager Unai Emery has questions to answer after Molineux embarrassment
This one was appalling. Not enough quality. Not enough character. Poor decisions on the pitch and in the dugout. It was atrocious.
Aston Villa kicked off amid a lukewarm, soppy deluge at Molineux, but enough about Don Goodman’s analysis – it was raining in Wolverhampton too. Villa produced a tame and disjointed display against Wolves without anything like the fluidity required to create chances at volume.
Going a goal down to this Wolves team with players on the bench who should have been on the pitch or still on the pitch isn’t about midfield injuries. Poor selection, poor substitutions and a lack of application cost Villa tonight and this loss is on Unai Emery first and foremost.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 6
No issues in possession and wholly untested in the first half. Nothing he could do to stop the Wolves goal in the second.
Matty Cash - 5
Always keen to get his head down and carry the ball. Linked well with Jadon Sancho and picked out a nice cross for Douglas Luiz after 17 minutes. Did his defensive duties to a typically high standard but Wolves didn’t offer much going forward on their left.
Ezri Konsa - 5
Composed on the ball, which Villa typically saw plenty of in their own half. Consistently able to feed Cash or move the ball back inside. Sharp defensively on the few occasions when he was called upon.
Pau Torres - 4
Wasted a free header from a corner in the seventh minute. Not stretched defensively and reliable in possession for the most part. Long passing wasn’t quite at its usual level.
Lucas Digne - 4
Connected well with Emi Buendía on the left, albeit less frequently than their counterpart pairing on the Villa left. Struggled for pace in the second half and was substituted with 20 minutes to go.
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Amadou Onana - 5
Caught in possession inside the first minute, leading to a Wolves free kick, but soon returned to his usual rhythm in the middle, albeit with the odd risky pass going awry. Covered well behind his defenders.
Douglas Luiz - 6
Solid in and out of possession. Volleyed Villa’s first shot on target straight at José Sá. Handy when backing up the Villa press and looked capable of having an impact in the final third. Passing was largely very decent.
Got away with a slightly iffy pass to Konsa after half an hour, though Onana shared the blame. Substituted with an hour played.
Jadon Sancho - 7
Tidy early touches at the start of a performance that was technically excellent, attack-minded but aware out of possession too. Looked like Villa’s best player and biggest threat until he was substituted on the hour.
Emi Buendía - 3
Missed a few tackles on the press in the first 20 minutes, during which he was spectacularly sloppy at times. Seemed intent on getting a yellow card in a first half that was more about endeavour than effectiveness. Finally got one in the first ten minutes of the second half.
Played distracted and it showed. Substituted with 20 minutes to go.
Morgan Rogers - 4
Threaded a beautiful pass through for Ollie Watkins in the sixth minute but fluffed another opening for the same target later in the first period. Curled a low shot on target in the middle of the first half. Moved to the left after substitutions.
Ollie Watkins - 3
Great run to get in behind early in the game but betrayed his total lack of confidence in front of goal. Contributed well when dropping in to bounce the play for midfielders but drifted out of the game yet again.
Substitutes
Ross Barkley (for Luiz, 60) - Nutmegged immediately at the start of the move that put Wolves in front and lost his man to boot. Good feet to create a chance for Ian Maatsen and then a lovely pass for Leon Bailey, which was a total waste of time. 5
Leon Bailey (for Sancho, 60) - Baffling substitution. Consistently went absolutely nowhere and quality on the ball was shocking. Booked after getting skinned. Awful. 2
Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 70) - Forced Sá into a save with 15 minutes left and injection of pace at left-back was a plus. 5
Tammy Abraham (for Buendía, 70) - Good first touch that should have resulted in a Bailey shot. 4
Alysson (for Watkins, 86) - Late substitute. N/A