Alan Shearer blown away by chart-topping John McGinn after what he did in Aston Villa win v Arsenal
Aston Villa continued their hugely impressive run of form at Villa Park with a hard-fought victory against high-flying Arsenal.
Midfield star John McGinn was the hero as he scored the only goal of the 1-0 victory on home soil on Saturday (9 December).
The win set a new club record of 15 successive Premier League home victories, with McGinn landing a place in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week for his efforts.
“Set the tone for yet another brilliant home win with his energy, his tackling and his fourth league goal of the season,” Shearer told the official Premier League website (11 December).
The Scotland international now boasts four league goals this season, which is a career-best for the midfielder in the competition [official Premier League website, 11 December].
But he is also shining in other areas, with McGinn now topping the Villa charts this season for through balls (eight), progressive passes (89) and successful take-ons (33), as per the official Premier League website (11 December).
Moreover, across the English top flight, only Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku and Wolves ace Matheus Cunha have completed more take-ons than the Aston Villa man.
The display against the Gunners also caught the eye of journalist Alex Keble, who wrote for the official Premier League website (11 December): “He was the standout player against Arsenal on Saturday evening, once again driving Villa forward by sneaking into unmarked central positions from his right-wing starting spot.”
Villa now occupy third place in the league table after the win, with Emery’s men just one place and one point behind Arsenal in the standings.
The Midlands club join the Gunners and league leaders Liverpool on 11 wins for the season, with Villa drawing twice and losing their other three games.
In other Aston Villa news, one 17 G/A Villa star has been “unleashed” under Emery, he must be kept at Villa Park at all costs amid Premier League interest.