Aston Villa unfortunate to face ‘outstanding’ Kepa – Danny Murphy
Aston Villa could not find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on Sunday (16 October) as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Villa Park.
Mason Mount proved to be the match-winner at the other end of the pitch with two goals for the Blues but it was the Spaniard who pulled off several world-class saves to keep his sheet clean.
Danny Murphy was amazed by the Chelsea shot-stopper but also had plenty of praise for Villa as a team and two individuals, in particular.
“It was a really good performance and if you’d won your last couple you might have got a standing ovation off the pitch,” Murphy said on Match of the Day 2. “Because there were so many positives.
“They got men in the box but the goalkeeper for Chelsea, Kepa, was absolutely outstanding. Watkins off the left had arguably his best game of the season.
“McGinn had super tenacity, can he make the right pass and give it Ings for a tap-in? He doesn’t do it and waits a bit too long.
“For 60 minutes, the manager is right. If they play like that against lesser opposition, they wouldn’t be in the position they are in. There’s some big games for Villa this week.”
Points mean prizes
Steven Gerrard won’t be overly jumping for joy at the performance his side put in against Graham Potter’s side because, at the end of the day, they have zero points to show for their efforts.
But playing like that should be enough to see Villa beat the majority of teams in the Premier League on their day and that has to be at least a little bit encouraging.
The main problem Aston Villa have had, though, is being unable to break down a low block in front of them when a team comes to defend rigidly and hit them on the counterattack.
The manager has to find a different way to win than the pretty goals and fancy flicks because that won’t keep a team in the Premier League by a long stretch.
The ugly win has to become something that the entire squad strives for and they can then start getting fancy when they are relatively safe of relegation.
In other Aston Villa news, talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino has been begging Villa supporters for patience as he vehemently backs Gerrard to succeed long-term.