Aston Villa player ratings v Cardiff City: Maatsen, Garcia flop, Asensio shines
Aston Villa secured a 2-0 victory against Cardiff City in the FA Cup at Villa Park on Friday night.
Marco Asenio broke the deadlock in the second half after capitalising on a pass from Marcus Rashford and then bagged another goal to put the game beyond all doubt.
With that result, Unai Emery’s side secure progression to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Here are our player ratings from the game:
Emi Martinez – 6
Had just one save to make all game, per Sofascore, and went on about his job with relative ease for the rest of the game.
Andres Garcia – 3
Lost all his ground duels and failed to complete any of his five attempted crosses, showcasing that he’s still some way from being a first-team regular.
Ezri Konsa – 7
An assured presence in defence, Konsa was also tidy in possession.
Lamare Bogarde – 7
Complemented Konsa well in defence as they ensured that Martinez was well protected in goal.
Ian Maatsen – 3
Was a liability defensively as he struggled to play in a back four and failed to stop a number of crosses the Cardiff attackers were making.
John McGinn – 7
The Aston Villa captain covered every blade of grass and appeared tireless right until the end of the game.
Youri Tielemans – 7
Distributed the ball well and controlled the tempo of the game to near perfection.
Leon Bailey – 5
Looked threatening on occasion but did not manage to consistently cause any harm to the Cardiff side.
Marco Asensio – 8
Scored both the goals and kept getting into the right positions, keeping the Cardiff defenders on their toes all game with an 86 per cent pass accuracy.
Marcus Rashford – 6
Looked a tad nervy in the final third for most of the game, but provided a decisive assist to Asensio.
Ollie Watkins – 5
Struggled all game to take his chances and be a real menace to the Cardiff defenders in what was an underwhelming display but managed to get an assist late on.
Subs
Morgan Rogers – 5
Barely had enough time to do anything, making just six touches.
Jacob Ramsey – 6
Was tidy with his passes, achieving a 100 per cent accuracy.
Jamaldeen Jimoh – 6
Also achieved a 100 per cent accuracy and also looked to drive the ball forward in possession.
Lucas Digne – 6
Looked assured in defence after coming on and kept things simple.