Pranav Shahaney

Sat 9 December 2023 19:27, UK

Aston Villa secured a 1-0 victory against Premier League chasers Arsenal at Villa Park on Saturday, 9 December, in a 17:30 kick off.

John McGinn scored in the first 10 minutes of the game to give the hosts the lead.

The Villans then held on for the three points but the Gunners failed to take control of proceedings to really create big goal-scoring chances.

Here are our player ratings for this one:

Emi Martinez – 7

Commanded his penalty area exceptionally well and whenever called into action, delivered, no questions asked. Martin Odegaard’s strike in the first half would’ve beaten most keepers but the Argentine read it well and made his move before the Norweigian even took his shot. According to Sofascore, he made three saves in the game and was also successful on both occasions he decided to sweep and beat the Arsenal attackers to the ball.

Ezri Konsa – 7

Despite being a right-back, Konsa has always tended to put the defensive side of that role first and that paid huge dividends for Aston Villa. In the 66 minutes he was on the pitch, he blocked three shots, won two tackles and made an important clearance. He was seldom seen ahead of the half way line and that’s probably what Emery would’ve wanted. He also completed 87 per cent of his passes – being one of the tidiest in possession for the team.

Diego Carlos – 8

The Brazilian stepped up to the plate and did a phenomenal job dealing with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz whenever he made those late runs into the box. While he may not have been super accurate with his long balls, he won five tackles, made six clearances and won over 80 per cent of his ground duels – which is something Emery would’ve absolutely loved. He never exposed Martinez in goal and that’s why the Argentine had so few shots to navigate.

Pau Torres – 7

Playing at centre-back for Aston Villa alongside Carlos and did well to complement him at the heart of defence. Carried the ball into midfield on a number of occasions and looked very confident with the ball at his feet, given his pass accuracy north of 80 per cent. He also made three vital clearances to help his side’s cause at Villa Park.

Lucas Digne – 6

Started at left-back for Aston Villa ahead of Alex Moreno and proved why he is Emery’s first choice option. He might have picked up a yellow, but dealing with an in-form Bukayo Saka was never going to be an easy task, especially for a full-back who fancies getting forward. However, he got the defensive side of his game on point and won three tackles in the game.

Leon Bailey – 7

Played only the first 45 minutes and was absolutely breathtaking but could not play the second half due to injury. It’s fair to say he was among the Villans’ best players on the field in the first period. He constantly terrorised Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left and completed 80 per cent of his passes – one of which resulted in an assist for McGinn’s goal.

Boubacar Kamara – 5

Did not have the best of games and looked tired towards the final 10-15 minutes he was on the field of play. He failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles and lost 80 per cent of his ground duels. He was also not overly accurate with his long balls – with just one out of four finding their desired location. He’s had better games for Villa and Emery did the right thing bringing him off.

Douglas Luiz – 4

Nearly got himself sent off for reckless play and had the referee given a red card, VAR perhaps would not have overturned that decision. He had a zero per cent success rate with his attempted crosses as well as aerial duels and had it been a team with taller and stronger midfielders, he would’ve been in real trouble. He also lost most of his ground duels and lost possession on more than 10 occasions for Aston Villa.

John McGinn – 9

Scored in the first half after an impressive passage of play by Villa and his lively presence. He may have picked up a yellow card, but that’s because he was constantly down the necks of the Arsenal players did not give them any breathing room. He was accurate with 66 per cent of his attempted long balls. He also won nearly half of his ground duels (10) and also completed 60 per cent of his dribbles.

Youri Tielemans – 7

Was absolutely lively for the 58 minutes he was on the field of play and thrived in an advanced midfield role as he constantly ran in between the lines – causing havoc in the Arsenal defence. He completed 93 per cent of his passes – misplacing just one pass and also won five out of his seven ground duels so he did the dirty work just as well.

Ollie Watkins – 4

Struggled to get involved in the build up and whenever he had chances in front of goal, he did not really appear to threaten David Raya in the Arsenal goal. He completed just five passes with an accuracy of 42 per cent and that’s not particularly impressive. He also lost seven out of his eight attempted ground duels and for someone who’s known for his work rate, the Aston Villa striker failed to put up a good show.

Subs

Moussa Diaby – 6

Jacob Ramsey – 5

Matty Cash – 5

Leander Dendoncker – 5

Alex Moreno – 5

In other Aston Villa news, Ian Wright has waxed lyrical over a first-team player and has dubbed him “fantastic” after what he did recently.