Aston Villa player ratings v Manchester City: Nicolo Zaniolo in 4/10 stinker, Robin Olsen shines
Aston Villa fell to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Manchester City following a Phil Foden hattrick, potentially denting their Champions League hopes.
Villa came into the game missing some big players and after an early Rodri goal, it looked like it was going to be a long night.
Thanks to an excellently worked goal by Jhon Duran, the Villans were surprisingly level despite a City onslaught.
Moments before half time the hosts were back in front. This was as Nicolo Zaniolo turned his back and allowed a Foden free kick through the wall.
The Englishman grabbed another two goals in the second half and confirmed his hat trick. This is how the score settled as Unai Emery shut up shop.
Villa News rates each player out of 10 for their performance, using data provided by WhoScored and FotMob.
Robin Olsen- 7
After being thrown in at the last minute in place of Emi Martinez, Olsen performed well against City’s domination. Despite conceding four, after making seven saves he can be pleased with his performance overall.
Ezri Konsa- 6
The new England international had a positive performance once again up against true quality. Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva got at him but he wasn’t truly at fault.
Diego Carlos- 6
The Brazilian came so close to levelling the scores via a header off a corner. He forced Ortega into a fine save and the game could have been so different.
Clement Lenglet- 6
A typical performance from Lenglet. Calm on the ball and didn’t put much of a foot wrong despite the poor scoreline.
Lucas Digne- 5
It was a tough evening for Digne, Jeremy Doku never gave him a moment’s peace. It must be said that the Belgian didn’t get any change out of the Frenchman throughout.
Nicolo Zaniolo- 4
He had performed well in his first start since December but turning his back on the free kick was unacceptable. He was almost invisible in the second half, potentially tiring out after a more positive opening 45. He came off injured late in the game after just 26 touches.
Tim Iroegbunam- 5
A tough game for a youngster to be thrown in for just his second Premier League start of the season. With Just one tackle won and 33% dribble success it was a tough night for the 20-year old against the champions.
Douglas Luiz- 5
With 88% pass accuracy, Luiz was useful when he got on the ball but after picking up an early yellow card he was always struggling. Was benefitted by being subbed off given the game against Brentford coming up so quickly.
Morgan Rogers- 5
His assist for Duran’s goal was superb but was as good as it got for him against his former side. He had a very quiet second half like many of his teammates.
Moussa Diaby- 6
From the off Diaby looked more like he did earlier season which can only be a good thing for Villa fans. He looked tired as he was left in the dust by Rodri for Foden’s second. Four defensive actions and five recoveries summed up his evening.
Jhon Duran- 7
There is no doubting the quality of Duran’s opener. The one-two and the finish was superb to bring Villa level. He scored with his only shot of the game giving him a 100% conversion rate on the night which is a positive.
SUBS
Youri Tielemans (on for Douglas Luiz 64′)- 6
Tielemans came on and put himself about but ultimately couldn’t change the game in a positive sense for the Villans after coming on.
Calum Chambers (on for Tim Ireogbunam 64′)- N/A
Leon Bailey (on for Moussa Diaby 64′)- N/A
Alex Moreno (on for Jhon Duran 71′)- N/A
Omari Kellyman (on for Nicolo Zaniolo 77′)- N/A
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist has raged at “unfair” criticism of Ollie Watkins after what the striker did for England.
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