Sky pundit in total disbelief at what Matty Cash did for Aston Villa v PSG
Aston Villa were knocked out of the Champions League by PSG on Tuesday night, with Matty Cash picked out for one incident in the game.
Despite a remarkable attempt at a comeback, Unai Emery’s side fell just short of PSG in a 5-4 aggregate defeat, despite winning 3-2 on the night.
Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a trio of goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, and Ezri Konsa gave the Villans some hope, but in the end, that is all it would prove to be.
Emi Martinez was called out for his mistake in one of the goals, and it seems like Cash hasnt gotten away with the one he played in it either.
Villa errors prove costly against PSG
Villa started the game very, very well. But just as Emery’s side were on the attack, Marcus Rashford lost the ball, which in turn led to a ferocious PSG counter-attack, with Hakimi ending the move to give the Parisians the lead.
It was Bradley Barcola who led the counter, with Sky Sports pundit Dougie Critchley stunned at the space he was afforded to drive with the ball.
| Aston Villa v PSG | Goals | Shots | xG | Possession |
| Aston Villa | 3 | 17 | 2.26 | 34% |
| PSG | 2 | 14 | 1.70 | 66% |
Writing via his X account (15 April), he said: “Achraf Hakimi has been the best right back in the world this season, closely followed by Jules Kounde. He needs no invitation to get forward… Still can’t believe how much space Cash gave Barcola.”
At the time, it didn’t look like the series of errors was going to be too damaging, but with Villa losing out on a potential place in the semi-finals by just one goal, it certainly was.
Champions League qualification beckons again for the Villans
With just the Premier League to focus on now, Villa can take strides forward in their attempts to secure a top-five finish and secure Champions League football for the new campaign.
Emery’s side sit just one point outside of those places, and with six games still to be played, they have every chance of achieving that.
Recruitment will be key for Aston Villa this summer, though those plans may be thrown out of the window if European football of some kind isn’t secured, with potential targets likely to be put off by it.