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Moussa Diaby flops with 4/10 showing, Diego Carlos MOTM gets 8/10 - Aston Villa player ratings vs AZ Alkmaar
Aston Villa claimed a come-from-behind 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League thanks to a late Ollie Watkins winner.
Villa thought they’d opened the scoring after just two minutes through Clement Lenglet’s header but it was ruled out for an offside in the build-up. AZ Alkmaar then were strong defensively for the rest of the half and had a goal of their own ruled out for offside on the stroke of half-time.
AZ started the second half brightly and took the lead when Vangelis Pavlidis breached the offside trap and slotted past Martinez, but Diego Carlos equalised with a header from a corner just nine minutes later.
The team struggled to create in the second half but substitute Douglas Luiz found Watkins with a lovely pass in behind for him to head past the goalkeeper and claim all three points.
Here is how Villa News rated the performance of each Aston Villa player during the game, with the help of SofaScore stats..
Emi Martinez – 6/10
Martinez didn’t look at his best on the night. Went down early for the goal which allowed Vangelis to put it over him and while his distribution was excellent it felt like he wasn’t all there.
Ezri Konsa – 6/10
The always reliable defender was out of position but still did his best work defensively. He won 80% of his ground duels and completed over 90% of his passes all without conceding a foul. Just didn’t offer enough going forward.
Diego Carlos – 8/10
A rare start for the Brazilian was rewarded with an excellent performance and a fine goal. He rose highest to head home the equaliser on the hour mark, and along with winning all of his duels and completing 97% of his passes that makes him the man of the match quite comfortably.
Clement Lenglet – 7/10
Lenglet had a solid game for the Villans and felt like he should have had a goal too after just two minutes. He completed 83 of 89 passes during the game, made one clearance and one interception too to round off a strong performance.
Lucas Digne – 5/10
Digne has established himself as the first-choice left-back at the club in recent months but this performance wasn’t a memorable one from the Frenchman. He won both of his duels on the ground but he barely got on the ball and wasn’t really a threat.
John McGinn – 6/10
The skipper ran around a lot during the game, but he struggled to make a real impact. He made only 20 passes in the game despite playing 90 minutes and this will be remembered more for him winning his duels than his quality in possession.
Boubacar Kamara – 5/10
Kamara had a strong defensive showing winning five of his six duels on the ground and completing 90% of his passes. A key member of Emery’s side and one of the best pound-for-pound signings the club have made in recent years.
Youri Tielemans – 6/10
Tielemans had a mixed first half where he struggled to really make an impact, and his second half performance didn’t really improve much. He lost possession 14 times and completed just 79% of his passes before being substituted, and surely won’t be breaking into the team any time soon with performances like that.
Leon Bailey – 7/10
Bailey was arguably the biggest attacking threat Villa had on the night, but he was incredibly wasteful. He completed just 54% of his passes on the night but managed two key passes and an assist, so deserves some praise.
Moussa Diaby – 4/10
Diaby had a pretty poor game as he struggled to get hold of the ball and do anything of note. He managed just 23 touches before being substituted on 73 minutes as Villa struggled to break down AZ Alkmaar.
Ollie Watkins – 5/10
Watkins was absolutely horrible for 79 minutes with just 18 touches and only 12 successful passes, but then he popped up in the box with a vital header to give his side the lead and earn all three points. That’s his job and he did it well. No complaints.
SUBSTITUTES
Matty Cash – 6/10
Nicolo Zaniolo – 6/10
Douglas Luiz – 7/10
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