Aston Villa player ratings v Everton – Matty Cash 5/10 MOTM scores 7/10
Aston Villa secured a third straight win with a hard-fought 1-0 result against Everton on Wednesday.
Yet another dismal first-half performance on 15 January made way for an early strike from Ollie Watkins just six minutes after the half-time interval.
This was a moment of quality in a game which generally lacked any true composure in forward areas for either side but Villa still took the three points.
Here, Villa News rates the performances of the Villans after securing three points in David Moyes’ return match at Goodison Park.
Emi Martinez – 6
The World Cup winner had very little to do throughout the clash on Merseyside but made saves when required and will be delighted with a long-awaited clean sheet.
Matty Cash – 5
The right-back didn’t get involved as much as he might have wanted. Cash got forward regularly but didn’t necessarily contribute in any way in either box. Average night’s work for the Polish Cafu.
Ezri Konsa – 5
Konsa looked positive on the ball but can look shaky at times when being attacked and while in the air but did help contribute to a clean sheet.
Tyrone Mings – 6
The England international put in a similar performance to his centre-back partner but was like a magnet to the ball from set-pieces which sets him apart from his teammates that’s for sure.
Lucas Digne – 5
Digne could have the same comments that were said about Cash. The former Everton man did get forward at times but once again, did very little of note for Emery’s side.
Boubakar Kamara – 7
By comparison, Kamara was superb and put out plenty of fires at Goodison. He showed his class at the base of midfield, regularly dropping into the back line to form a five which was a help in shutting the Toffees out. Man of the match.
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers shine for Aston Villa v Everton
Amadou Onana – 5
The first 10 minutes or so were superb from the Belgian but his performance level fell away as the game went on, potentially due to a very early booking which left him on eggshells for the large majority of the game.
Youri Tielemans – 5
A quiet night at the office for Tielemans who also failed to have a telling impact for the away side at Goodison. It wasn’t the type of game that suited the Belgian which saw him struggle at times.
Morgan Rogers – 7
There was precious little space at times for the 22-year-old but he still managed to make himself available before picking out Watkins to grab an assist for the opener.
Jacob Ramsey – 5
The striker scored the opener in the second half but it should have been Ramsey in the first half who did. His general play was positive but the missed chance in the last moments of the first 45 minutes just wasn’t good enough. Encouraging signs regardless.
Ollie Watkins – 7
The England international showed his relief to get on the scoresheet with his celebration. His all-important strike came after missing a guilt-edged chance in the first half. He won’t care now, he got his goal and helped to earn the three points.
Substitutes
Emi Buendia – 6
In other Aston Villa news, a target has been spotted at Villa Park after the latest January transfer development.
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