Matty Cash in 2/10 shocker, Pau Torres stars with 9/10 – Aston Villa player ratings vs Tottenham
Aston Villa moved into fourth place in the Premier League with a statement 2-1 victory at Tottenham on Sunday (26 November).
Giovanni Lo Celso gave the hosts the lead at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in an action-packed game, but Pau Torres levelled just before half-time.
Ollie Watkins, having earlier had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside, put Villa ahead on the hour and they saw out a huge victory.
Here is how Villa News rated the performance of each Aston Villa player during the game, with the help of Sofascore and WhoScored stats…
Emi Martinez – 9
Made seven saves to frustrate the likes of Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson. Made one of the finest double-saves you are likely to see anywhere this season to thwart Johnson and then Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Ezri Konsa – 6
Konsa was used at right-back, with Diego Carlos and Pau Torres linking up in the middle, and did not offer a great deal going forward as he registered zero crosses. However, he was solid defensively, winning four of his six duels.
Diego Carlos – 8
Led the way for the number of clearances of any player on the field with three, helping his side to a valuable victory in the process. Also completed 91% of his passes to help start attacks from the back.
Pau Torres – 9
Torres dealt with near enough everything that came into the box as Tottenham pushed for an equaliser, while he won all five of his duels. Not content with his defensive masterclass, he also registered at he other end with a superb header.
Lucas Digne – 7
Whipped in some delightful crosses in a rather lopsided Villa formation, given the defensive-minded Konsa was on the other flank. Attempted nine crosses in total and created one big chance.
Matty Cash – 2 (off for Leon Bailey ’46)
Was cautioned for a foul on Rodrigo Bentancur that injured his opponent and was walking a tightrope before being hauled off at half-time. Cash can have no complaints with that decision, as he did not register a single completed cross in his 50 minutes or so on the field.
Boubacar Kamara – 7
Went close to scoring in the second half from his only shot. His 56 touches were bettered only by Douglas Luiz (63) in a commanding display, highlighted by the fact he misplaced just three of his 46 passes.
Douglas Luiz – 8
As assured as you like in central midfield from the Brazilian, as he completed 93.6% of his passes – the most of any player to have played a full part – including the assist for Torres’ goal. Also had the most touches (63) of any Villa player.
John McGinn – 7 (Off for Jacob Ramsey 91′)
Seems to get better and better as the season goes on. McGinn did not register a goal or assist, but his three key passes were the most of any Villa player, while no Tottenham player could better that tally.
Moussa Diaby – 4 (Off for Youri Tielemans 46′)
Did not have the worst of first-half displays, as he completed all nine of his passes and registered one successful dribble. However, he did not muster a shot on target and was ultimately sacrificed by Unai Emery.
Ollie Watkins – 9 (Off for Jhon Duran ’91)
Another of Villa’s stand-out stars, Watkins won a game-high four aerial duels and took his chance superbly to win the game for his side. Watkins now has 12 goals across all competitions this term – only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (18) has more among players from Premier League clubs [OptaJoe].
Substitutes
Leon Bailey (on for Matty Cash 46′) – 7
Not exactly his finest display in a Villa shirt, but did offer more than the man he replaced. Had an expected goals value of 0.24, compared to a pretty terrible 0.09 for Cash.
Youri Tielemans (on for Moussa Diaby ’46) – 8
Will surely now be pushing for a start after playing in Watkins for the winner. Had an 87% pass-accuracy rate and, while he did lose possession eight times, he did at least try to make things happen.
Jacob Ramsey (on for John McGinn 91′) – N/A
Jhon Duran (on for Ollie Watkins ’91) – N/A
In other Aston Villa news, a broadcaster has shared a “tough” verdict from the win over Tottenham.