Matty Cash delivers crucial contribution yet again v Zrinjski, Unai Emery simply cannot do without him at Aston Villa
John McGinn may have grabbed all the plaudits for his winner for Aston Villa in their 1-0 win over Zrinjski in the Europa Conference League but it was Matty Cash who once again proved why Unai Emery can’t do without him at Villa Park right now.
It looked set to be another disappointing night for Villa in Europe, having lost 3-2 against Legia Warsaw in their opening game of Group E last time out.
However, midfielder McGinn met Matty Cash’s cross in the fourth minute of added time to earn the team’s first win in the competition and their first at home in the group stage of a European competition since they beat Ajax 2-1 in the Uefa Cup in October 2008.
Villa had plenty of the ball in the first half but were ponderous in possession and lacked real fluidity, finding it difficult to break down a well-organised Zrinjski defensive unit.
The Bosnian outfit were happy to soak up pressure for large parts of the game as the Villans failed to breach their resilient defence, registering just two shots on goal and having five shots blocked [SofaScore] in the first half what looked to be another disappointing evening for Emery and his men.
However, it wasn’t until the Spaniard took action at half-time and threw on Cash for the second half which certainly transformed the whole picture and meant there was only going to be one guaranteed winner, eventually.
Aston Villa recorded a whopping 19 shots, seven on target and seven off target but their crossing threat grew after Cash’s introduction during the interval [SofaScore].
In fact, the Polish international recorded three key passes in 45 minutes [SofaScore] once again proving why he is Emery’s dominant force on that right flank but more crucially showcased how much of a threat he is in the final third when Villa need it most.
So far this campaign in Europe, he’s recorded an impressive 2.5 key passes per game and successfully completed 25% of his crosses.
Cash is a superb sight when going forward as he showed against Brighton at the weekend, providing another assist for Watkins’ opener after a tremendous off-the-ball run and pass for the England international to score.
And yet again, the Polish international was at his elusive best on Thursday to deliver the telling contribution for McGinn to hit the last-gasp winner which had the Villa Park in rapturous voice.
Certainly, the Scot will grab all the headlines for his winner but he must surely be going over to his teammate for his excellent picture-perfect cross.
It’s clear Aston Villa do not have another well-rounded and quality option at right-back which means Cash remains Emery’s saving grace in the position and it is why the Spaniard will be praying the Pole doesn’t get injured over the coming weeks.
As the first half against Zrinjski showed, Aston Villa looked clueless and lifeless without Cash’s endeavour and decisive edge going forward. It’s why he is just as important as the likes of McGinn and Ollie Watkins.
In other Aston Villa news, an Aston Villa Women defender has been handed a club honour following the exit of one player.