Joe Roberts

Sun 27 August 2023 16:22, UK

Aston Villa continued their excellent run of form with a 3-1 victory over Vincent Kompany’s recently promoted Burnley in a well-fought victory at Turf Moor on Sunday (27 August).

Unexpected goalscorer Matty Cash gave Villa a solid lead after netting twice within 12 minutes, the first after just eight minutes after latching onto Ollie Watkin’s hopeful cross with an instinctive run into the box. He doubled the lead just 12 minutes later following some neat interplay with Moussa Diaby.

Burnley remained composed however and found a way back into the clash after halftime substitute Johann Gudmundsson’s cross into the box was met by young forward Lyle Foster who fought off Pau Torres to make it 2-1 just after half time.

Diaby added to his assist by capitalising on a quick counter-attack on the hour mark and lashed the ball past James Trafford to make it 3-1 despite a scare from VAR. Villa’s tremendous form continues, with this result pushing them to sixth in the Premier League table.

Here Villa News rates the players out of ten for their performances at Turf Moor.

Robin Olsen – 6

Villa fans may have feared the worst after Emi Martinez’s injury against Hibernian. Olsen is not as rated as the Argentine but remained calm at the back and provided some top-class distribution. While he will be disappointed not to keep a clean sheet, his one essential save and 0.68 expected goals prevented, he did enough to fill Martinez’s gloves. [SofaScore]

Ezri Konsa – 7

While the lack of a clean sheet will be disappointing to all the back line, Konsa provided consistent solidity at the back and was never dribbled past across the 90. Burnley’s rare forays into the attacking half were more than matched by Konsa, who was not at fault for their sole goal. With four tackles and two clearances, the Englishman helped fill the Tyrone Mings-sized void.

Diego Carlos – 4

The man who came in to replace Mings may be feeling a bit rusty if that performance is anything to go by. He made no horrendous mistakes, but Emery’s side would have been better served if he played with a bit more aggression. The stats do not paint his performance too well, with five unsuccessful aerial duels, nine unsuccessful long-balls and losing possession 17 times.

Pau Torres – 7

Torres showed his composure on the ball and ability to progress the ball up the pitch from the back. While he could have been stronger against Foster for Burnley’s goal, he provided another encouraging performance as he eases his way into the Premier League. He slotted in well in the back three, and with 93% pass accuracy, three clearances and frequent progressive passes, he looks set to thrive under Emery this season.

Lucas Digne – 8

With another exceptional performance and another assist to his name, Digne is truly making a statement amid links to a Villa Park exit. He regularly bombed up and down the channel all game, and provided two key passes and the assist for Diaby’s strike. If he remains at the club after the window shuts, Unai Emery will have a tough time dropping him when Alex Moreno returns.

Matty Cash – 10

Cash is not a scorer of many goals, but his electric attacking performance proved to be the difference in the first half for Villa. He took both his goals excellently with the instinctive finishing of a seasoned striker and could have ended the game with five goals to his name. While Burnley caused the defence a bit of trouble in the second half, his stats prove his excellence. With three shots on target, three tackles, six ground duels won and, of course, two goals, the Pole proved essential up and down the pitch.

Boubacar Kamara – 9

Kamara made up for Luiz’s below-average performance. He was ever-present in the midfield and was adept at maintaining possession and allowing attacking movements to develop before springing an impactful pass up the pitch. His 91% pass accuracy showed his point-point precision and sensible decision-making, while his eight successful ground duels and three tackles proved what a nuisance he was for Burnley.

Douglas Luiz – 5

Luiz has certainly had better performances in a Villa shirt but remained mostly reliable. His partnership with Kamara in the middle of the park is developing into one of the league’s most dependable, but the Brazilian was outshone by his midfield counterpart. His two key passes caused Burnley some trouble, but being dribbled past twice and earning only 76% pass accuracy shows that his performance at Turf Moor was not up to his typically high levels.

John McGinn – 5

While the captain’s performance was not poor by any stretch, McGinn was outshone by others in the side. He again proved to be reliable in the midfield and frequently helped in the attack. He would have liked to have more time in the box but proved most impactful from slightly deeper areas. McGinn kept the side ticking with 83% pass accuracy but was not in full swing on the day.

Moussa Diaby – 8

Diaby doubled his goal tally against Burnley with a cooly-taken finish just outside the area. He remained a persistent threat and linked up excellently with his fellow attackers. While he did get his goal, he may look to improve his rate of shooting, with just the one shot across the 90. However, with 88% pass accuracy and two key passes, he continues to show why Villa paid big money for him.

Ollie Watkins – 4

Watkins will rue his missed chance in the second half. With just Trafford in the way, his finishing is typically sharper as he leathered it too close to the goalkeeper. He was important in Villa’s opening goal and persisted with his dangerous runs into the attacking third, but was not his usual lethal self. With two big chances missed and not as much possession as he’d like, his early substitution was justified.

Substitutions

Nicolo Zaniolo (on for Moussa Diaby, 73′) – 6

Bertrand Traore (on for Lucas Digne, 81′) – 5

Youri Tielemans (on for Douglas Luiz, 86′) – 5

Jhon Duran (on for Ollie Watkins, 86′)- 5

In other Aston Villa news, Ty Bracey has urged the club to keep an exit-linked star after his excellent performance in Europe.