John McGinn deservedly hooked by Unai Emery amid Aston Villa struggle in West Ham win
John McGinn was hooked by Unai Emery for Aston Villa after struggling in the win against West Ham.
The Villa skipper started the clash but was taken off alongside Ollie Watkins on 62 minutes to be replaced by Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran.
The two substitutes combined late on as the latter smashed a low effort past Alphonse Areola after a summer full of controversy.
Emery’s decision to hook two of his most important players was vindicated with McGinn failing to hit the heights supporters have come to expect.
John McGinn in Aston Villa struggle v West Ham
It could have been a different day for the Scotland international after having an effort trickle wide after his initial effort was blocked.
At that point, if his effort had gone in, the Villans would have been 2-0 up and the clash would have had a completely different complexion.
The 29-year-old didn’t really bounce back from the miss and as a result, was taken off in a change which made a telling impact.
McGinn struggled going forward with a zero per cent shot accuracy while having just five touches in the Hammers’ penalty area [FotMob].
The captain was also unable to lay many chances up for his teammates after failing to register a successful cross and maintaining just a 50 per cent-long pass accuracy.
Things didn’t get better defensively as he won just half of his tackles while losing two duels which is uncharacteristic of the Scot.
This showing saw Emery hook the midfielder and hand Ramsey a chance and after getting an assist, the Englishman showed that the decision was the right one.
In other Aston Villa news, Joe Gomez to make Liverpool exit decision as late transfer exit eyed.
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