Aston Villa: 100% star Pau Torres shines v Fulham despite ‘unusual’ Danny Murphy verdict
Pau Torres turned in a fantastic display at the back for Aston Villa in the 2-1 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage as Unai Emery was forced to name a new-look backline.
Torres played alongside Clement Lenglet in the middle, with Matty Cash at right-back and Alex Moreno at left-back as a result of injury blows to both centre-back Ezri Konsa and left-back Lucas Digne.
Danny Murphy spoke out in praise of both centre-backs who he insisted were crucial for the result, but claimed it was unusual to see two left-footed defenders playing together in the Premier League.
Murphy spoke live on Match Of The Day [17 February] as he shared: “Pau Torres, we know he’s a good player, a Spanish international, he’s come back into the team after being out for a little while.
“Lenglet, of course, is another left-footer, we don’t see many teams with two left-footed centre-halves, it’s quite unusual. They dug in and held on, and the experience of those two, in particular, the two centre-halves, was crucial in getting that result.”
Pau Torres stepped up for Aston Villa v Fulham
Torres was especially impressive in his display at the back, adding some confidence both on and off the ball. That was typified by his 16 attempted long balls as he looked to switch the play and push his team further up the pitch, as well as a 100 per cent dribble success rate. [Sofascore]
The number of long passes out from the back reduced his overall pass accuracy to just 79 per cent, but he certainly made up for that with his defensive play. Six clearances and two tackles came alongside a 100 per cent ground duel success rate.
Alongside Torres, Clement also put in a commanding performance at the back with a massive eight clearances, one tackle and one block. [Sofascore]
A 98 per cent pass accuracy saw the Frenchman lose possession just one time in the entire game as he lent his assured presence and confidence in possession to Emery’s side – with that one loss of possession coming from his only attempted long pass.
His duel success did not quite reach the heights of Torres’, with two of five aerial duels won, and two of three ground duels won, but he played an important role yet again in securing Villa’s win away from home.
In other Aston Villa news, the club’s Champions League hopes may have received a boost.
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