Aston Villa put to bed their recent poor form to earn all 3 points against Brighton with a hard-fought 0-2 victory at the AMEX stadium.
Matty Cash opened the scoring with a wonderful strike from outside the area to give the visitors the lead on 17 minutes.
Ollie Watkins doubled the lead latching onto a sublime ball from Tyrone Mings to expertly dispatch past Sanchez.
STARTING LINE-UP
Formation 4-3-3
Emi Martinez – 7
Rating contribution from Ryan Mckeown
Clean sheet number 22 for Emi Martinez, and consecutive clean sheets at the AMEX Stadium.
Rarely troubled.
Matty Cash – 9
Rating contribution from Justin Hawthorne
What a strike !!!!!
Much better today from the Polish right back, it felt like he was slightly more disciplined in his role against Brighton, he got forward but it felt more controlled. The composure and technique for the opening goal were exceptional, and something we haven’t seen enough of.
Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come
Ezri Konsa – 8
Rating contribution from Gary Plaza
Had a point to prove on his return after his poor red card last time out and he proved it!
Superb showing along side Mings, albeit against a poor Brighton attack. Never troubled throughout the game, just a classy performance.
Tyrone Mings – 8.5
Rating contribution from Ryan Mckeown
Colossal performance from the Captain.
Focused, composed, and up for the battle. This is the Tyrone Mings we love.
Sensational ball to assist Ollie Watkins’ goal.
Lucas Digne – 7.5
Rating contribution from Justin Hawthorne
Very similar to Cash today, he was far more disciplined with his forays into the Brighton half, and it was needed as he had his hands full with Lamptey.
A solid display and again like Cash hopefully he will just keep improving in the role that Gerrard has for him.
AVERAGE POSITIONS
Douglas Luiz – 6.5
Rating contribution from Ryan Mckeown
Steven Gerrard kept faith in the Brazilian; Luiz repaid that faith by putting in an energetic performance.
However, frustratingly put Villa under pressure on a number of occasions with loose cross-field balls.
Replaced on 71 minutes for Morgan Sanson.
* John McGinn – 9
Rating contribution from Gary Plaza
It’s no surprise that McGinn has his best game in 2022 and we keep a clean sheet and pick up 3 points!
He was outstanding from the first whistle. He controlled the tempo of the game and really drove us forwards.
What was more impressive was his in-game management, he watched Luiz closely and every time Luiz went forward McGinn covered the DM. He simply was everywhere.
Massive confidence boost ahead of Southampton and Leeds.
Jacob Ramsey – 7.5
Rating contribution from Justin Hawthorne
A fairly quiet day for the youngster, he showed glimpses of his ability to create a chance for himself and would have liked to have done better with a chance in the first half.
Overall a very competent display.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
Danny Ings – 7
Rating contribution from Gary Plaza
A quiet day for Ings but he still played his part today just like every other player in claret and blue today.
Pressed from the front which allowed the team to get forward as a unit which allowed us to prevent Brighton from their usual style of play.
Are we starting to see a Villa side where both Watkins and Ings can play?
Phillipe Coutinho – 7
Rating contribution from Ryan Mckeown
Pinged a free-kick that forced a great save from Sanchez. Played the 10 role independently as Gerrard tweaked the front three.
Did well.
Ollie Watkins – 8
Rating contribution from Gary Plaza
It’s been a tough year for Ollie and in recent games he hasn’t seemed himself. His hold up play still needs work but his effort could not be faulted today.
His high energy meant no Brighton defender could rest at all.
Had one opportunity and it took it superbly, beat the defender with pace before a great finish into the bottom corner following a brilliant ball by Mings.
This goal could change his season and i really hope it does!
Substitutions
Morgan Sanson – 6
on for Douglas Luiz (71 minutes) – The Frenchman finally got some minutes, can he now push for a starting spot? Ryan Mckeown
Ashley Young – N/A
on for Danny Ings (77 minutes) – replaced Ings with 10 minutes to go but the game was already over so nothing to really report. Gary Plaza
Tim Iroegbunam – N/A
on for Philippe Coutinho (85 minutes) – an Aston Villa debut for the youngster, looked composed as he slotted into the number 6 position for the closing stages. Ryan Mckeown
Not used: Robin Olsen, Emi Buendia, Calum Chambers, Kortney Hause, Leon Bailey, Tommi O’Reilly.
INTERACT WITH US ON TWITTER
Goals
Aston Villa | Cash (17), Watkins (68)
Opposition
Brighton | Sanchez; Lamptey, Dunk, Veltman, Cucurella; Moder (Welbeck, 62), Bissouma, March; Maupay, Mac Allister, Trossard.
Subs not used | Steele, Gross, Alzate, Duffy, Caicedo, Leonard, Offiah, Ferguson.
THE BOSS
ASTON VILLA PLAYER REACTION
HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Southampton (H) | Saturday 5th March 2022 | 15:00
LIVE LEAGUE TABLE
FAN REPORT – JOEY MILLINGTON
FAN REPORT | Brighton 0-2 Aston Villa (utvpodcast.co.uk)
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV Podcast camp.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Fan Stories, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In association with #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
