Cash stinks in 2/10, 8/10 dominates – Aston Villa player ratings v Bournemouth
Aston Villa returned to winning ways away to Fulham, securing a 1-0 victory courtesy of Ollie Watkins.
Off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, it was imperative that Aston Villa bounced back against the Cherries to retain their hopes of securing Champions League football.
Unai Emery’s side managed to do just that, and they partially have Watkins to thank after his late strike in the first half gave his side the lead.
Morgan Rogers’ ball was faintly touched beyond Kepa by Watkins, who became Aston Villa’s all-time Premier League top scorer as a result.
Outside of that, the game lacked any real attacking quality from both sides, with an overwhelming majority of the game played in the middle of the pitch, up until Jacob Ramsey’s sending off, which left the visitors in the lurch.
With that said, Villa won’t mind the nature of the game, having walked away from The Vitality with all three points in a 1-0 win.
Villa News rates the performance of each player from the clash.
Aston Villa secure edgy win against Bournemouth
Emi Martinez – 6
Matty Cash – 2
Ezri Konsa – 6
Tyrone Mings – 7
Lucas Digne – 7
Amadou Onana – 8
Boubacar Kamara – 7
Morgan Rogers – 5
Marco Asensio – 6
Jacob Ramsey – 2
Ollie Watkins – 7
Subs
John McGinn 69′ – N/A
Pau Torres 69′ – N/A
Ian Maatsen 89′ – N/A
Aston Villa must build on Bournemouth win
Emery’s side were far from the best at Vitality, but at this stage in the season, the only thing that matters is the result, and thankfully, on this occasion, the Villans came out on the right end of that.
With that said, a performance like that is unlikely to be enough to seal a top-five finish if replicated, and they will need to show more attacking threat in the remaining games.
As it stands, the Villans are sixth, but level on points with Chelsea and Newcastle on 63 points, though both sides have a game in hand.
From now until the end of the season, consistency will determine who secures a spot on next season’s Champions League, and Emery needs to get that drilled back into his side ahead of the final few Premier League fixtures.