‘Hungry’ John McGinn produces masterclass in Aston Villa 4-0 win v Everton
John McGinn produced an absolute masterclass to help Aston Villa defeat Everton 4-0 on Sunday (20 August), with the Scotland international scoring his side’s opening goal in the Premier League encounter at Villa Park.
He played the entire 90 minutes as Unai Emery’s men bounced back from their opening day 5-1 loss to Newcastle United in perfect fashion.
It was a display that had been in the works from Villa, who were keen to get back on track after the hammering by the Magpies.
“We were hungry, we were upset from last week, we were hurting,” McGinn said on Sky Sports Main Event after the match, as quoted by BBC Sport.
“We’re a good team, we had a really good pre-season. Last week was a setback but we were so positive this week to try and turn that round and today was a brilliant performance. We probably could have added a couple more.”
And leading the way against the Toffees was McGinn, who ranked first for passes in the final third with 15, as per Sky Sports (20 August).
The midfielder also ranked joint first in three other categories; passes forward under pressure (six), dribbles (four) and of course goals (one), with Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran also on the scoresheet.
His display has now helped his side fill up with confidence ahead of their huge Europa Conference League play-off clash against Scottish side Hibernian.
The first leg of that encounter is scheduled for Wednesday (23 August), with a reunion with his former club on the cards for midfield ace McGinn.
In other Aston Villa news, an ever-reliable Villa ace produced a top display at both ends despite the 5-1 loss against Newcastle.