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Douglas Luiz stars with 9/10 masterclass, 3/10 Pau Torres only let-down - Aston Villa player ratings v West Ham United
Aston Villa marked their return to Premier League action with a thumping 4-1 win over West Ham at Villa Park on Sunday (22 October).
Douglas Luiz scored either side of half-time, becoming the first Villa player to score in six successive home league games in the process.
Jarrod Bowen pulled one back for West Ham with a little over half an hour to play, but Ollie Watkins and substitute Leon Bailey put the game out of the visitors’ reach.
The victory – an 11th in a row at home in the league, as confirmed by the club’s Twitter account – lifts Unai Emery’s men up to fifth in the Premier League.
Here, Villa News rates the players out of 10 for their performances in the clash in the West Midlands.
Emi Martinez – 7
A poor touch almost let James Ward-Prowse in, but the Argentina international otherwise had a solid game, the highlight being a superb stop to deny Bowen early on – albeit it would have been ruled out for offside. Could do little to keep out Bowen’s goal, which took a deflection. As per SofaScore, he prevented 0.09 goals, so all in all it was a solid day’s work.
Matty Cash – 8
Led the way among Villa players for tackles (five), while his 90% pass-accuracy rate was bettered by only three others. May not have added to his goals tally for the campaign, but won his personal battle with Lucas Paqueta, who was pretty subdued.
Ezri Konsa – 8
Impressed both defensively and also offensively, having chipped in with a couple of attempts, one of those forcing a save out of Alphonse Areola. Seems an ideal fit for Emery, highlighted by his game-leading 97.1% pass-accuracy return [WhoScored].
Pau Torres – 3
Did not get across quickly enough to stop Bowen getting a shot away and, to add insult to injury, the ball clipped the defender’s leg to help it past Martinez. Torres won just half of his ground duels (2/4) and did not win any aerial duels, while he also lost possession seven times. His long passing was notable off, completing 0% of his eight attempts in that category.
Lucas Digne – 6
Guilty of giving away possession on a few occasions, but made a team-high six clearances. Only let down by his part in Bowen’s strike – could he have got across quicker? – but even that proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
John McGinn – 8
Made a couple of key passes, one of which was the assist for Watkins’ second goal. Completed 32 of his 35 passes in total, with that composure in the centre of the park invaluable for Emery, including a 100% success rate from his two long passes and his two crosses.
Boubacar Kamara – 7
Broke up play well in the middle of the park, registering two tackles in total and also one clearance. Not only helped out defensively but also helped start attacks, highlighted by his three key passes – only Moussa Diaby could better that.
Douglas Luiz – 9
There were plenty of impressive performers out there, but Douglas Luiz was the best player on the park. He made history by extending his home scoring streak, while also laying on three key passes for team-mates. Just as impressive, he led the way with 84 touches – nine more than any other Villa player.
Nicolo Zaniolo – 5 (off for Leon Bailey ’76)
Did not really get involved in the game as the Italian waits for his Villa career to truly take off. Got away one – off target – attempt and did not create any chances before being hooked in the 76th minute. To make matters worse, his replacement Bailey was on the scoresheet.
Moussa Diaby – 8 (off for Youri Tielemans ’85)
Another brilliant performance from the Frenchman, even if he did not get on the scoresheet himself. Diaby did pretty much everything else as he ended the game with a game-high four key passes.
Ollie Watkins – 8
Watkins assisted the first of Douglas Luiz’s goals and then got on the scoresheet himself in the second half with a well-taken goal. The striker is really finding his feet now and will be full of confidence after his England exploits over the international break.
Substitutions
Leon Bailey – 8 (on for Zaniolo 76′)
Would have been disappointed not to have started, but at least he made an impact from the substitutes bench after being brought on for the final 15 minutes or so. Scored Villa’s fourth goal with a powerful strike and also produced some classy touches.
Youri Tielemans – 8 (on for Diaby 85′)
Like Bailey, Tielemans did all he could by making his presence felt when brought on as he assisted that fourth and final goal. Played seven passes in total and completed them all for a 100% return.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans may be about to have a superstar in the making in their ranks.