Aston Villa: Diego Carlos finally hits top form v Arsenal as Alan Shearer picks him out
Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos is hitting top form just at the right time, and “didn’t put a foot wrong” in the 2-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates, according to Alan Shearer.
Villa had previously failed to get the best out of the 31-year-old Brazilian this season, but he shone against the Gunners, achieving a 7.2 rating from SofaScore and keeping a clean sheet as the visitors secured a massive three points late on.
As recently as pre-match, there were calls for the Brazilian to be withdrawn from Emery’s starting XI, but he proceeded to complete 92% of his 54 attempted passes, make three clearances and two tackles as Villa frustrated Arsenal before scoring two late goals at the other end.
After picking the centre-back in his team of the week, Shearer said: “Another player who frustrated some top attacking players who are chasing the title. He didn’t put a foot wrong in Aston Villa’s outstanding win at Arsenal.”
Aston Villa take vital step towards Premier League top four
With Carlos and his defence rock-solid at the back, and Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins continuing their red-hot form in front of goal, Aston Villa’s all-round performance against Arsenal was deserving of three points.
Carlos’ uptick in form couldn’t have come at a better time for Villa, putting in one of his best performances of the season just a matter of weeks after being rated as low as 6.0 and 6.2 on SofaScore (against Tottenham and Manchester City respectively).
In the Brentford game which finished 3-3, he only won one of his five ground duels and lost possession nine times, so returning to his top level against a team chasing the title proves just how good Carlos can be.
The fact that Carlos was Villa’s only occupant in Shearer’s team of the week, and not their Premier League record-equalling goalscorer Watkins, speaks volumes of the impact made by the Brazilian.
Arsenal were held scoreless despite racking up 1.64 expected goals, and Villa (with 0.94 xG) hit them with late sucker punches.
With the game on a knife-edge for the opening 83 minutes, it was Carlos who kept the Gunners at bay, being his side’s highest-scoring defender on SofaScore until Lucas Digne assisted Bailey’s opener.
Following a result which could prove huge in the races for both the title and the top four, Carlos and Villa are continuing their march to exceed expectations on multiple fronts, with a European semi-final beckoning for a team who are impossible to write off at the moment.
In other Aston Villa news, a new contract is on the table for Carlos’ Brazilian compatriot Douglas Luiz.
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