{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Douglas Luiz breaks own record in win v Tottenham, Aston Villa ace thriving under Unai Emery
Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz proved his superb ability all over the pitch once again in the club’s 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday (13 May).
The midfielder excelled in the much-needed victory that pulls Unai Emery’s men back into the race for European football.
It was an assured, mature performance from the Brazilian, one that earned him a spot in Garth Crooks’ Team of the Week for BBC Sport.
Discussing the Aston Villa ace, Crooks wrote: “Aston Villa, unlike Spurs, now have a grown-up in charge. Unai Emery is showing what can be achieved when the right managerial appointment is made – his players are playing out of their skins for him.
“The free-kick by Douglas Luiz in the 2-1 win over Spurs was stunning. Luiz was also brilliant in the corresponding fixture and caused Tottenham all kinds of problems.”
And it is in that area that Luiz has excelled particularly this season, with the midfielder taking his scoring ability to the next level under Emery.
The goal means that Brazilian has now scored more goals in the current campaign (six) than he had done in his previous three campaigns at the club (five).
It’s a remarkable statistic, with his superb free-kick against Tottenham representing just one of his 77 touches in the match, more than any other Aston Villa player [SofaScore].
But it wasn’t just his goal that earned him rave reviews, with Luiz shining with a 94% passing accuracy, six out of seven accurate long balls and one key pass.
Emery will want all of his players at their very best for the final two matches of the campaign against Liverpool and Brighton, with a European place very much on the cards if the players can hit the heights their manager knows they can.
And Luiz’s talents – both on and off the scoresheet – will play a key role in their search for an elusive spot among Europe’s elite.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery has been urged to axe one three-pass flop after his struggles in the win against Tottenham.