Lineker amazed after what ‘brilliant’ Onana did for Aston Villa v Bournemouth
Amadou Onana has been picked out for particular praise by Gary Lineker for his Aston Villa performance against Bournemouth.
The Villans travelled to the Vitality on Saturday (10 May) and came away with all three points thanks to a deft Ollie Watkins strike deep into first-half stoppage time.
Despite a red card for Jacob Ramsey with 10 minutes to go, the B6 club maintained their 1-0 lead and saw out the result to secure a huge three points.
On a positive day for Villa, it was Onana who caught the eye of Lineker for his showing in the middle of the pitch for the away side.
Onana the stand out for Aston Villa v Bournemouth
It is fair to say supporters feared for their form when Youri Tielemans picked up a potentially season-ending injury in midweek.
Those worries are now gone after a stellar performance from his Belgium international teammate against the Cherries.
| Stat | Bournemouth | Aston Villa |
| Possession | 66 | 34 |
| Big chances | 2 | 2 |
| Expected goals | 0.80 | 0.98 |
| Duels won | 46 | 48 |
Onana was superb in the heart of midfield as he took 59 touches and was able to maintain a 100 per cent dribble success rate while also making six passes into the final third [FotMob].
This meant that the absence of the ex-Leicester City midfielder wasn’t felt, while also adding more defensive stability to the side.
This saw the 23-year-old contribute with nine defensive actions while also winning the most duels on the pitch with 10, summing up his afternoon’s work.
It is fair to say this caught the eye of Linker on Match of the Day (10 May), who name-checked the Belgian for his superb showing.
He said: “Amadou Onana came in for Tielemans and did a really good job.
Co-host Ashley Williams was in full agreement as he added: “I was really impressed with him today, it was a really strong and powerful defensive midfield performance.
“He sits in the middle of the pitch, starting attacks and breaking up play for Aston Villa. I thought he was brilliant from the off in a really massive game for Villa, big win, big performance coming in for Tielemans.”
Onana steps in for Tielemans at Aston Villa
The Villa midfield looked superb against Andoni Iraola’s side, with Boubacar Kamara and Onana lining up alongside each other.
This provided a physicality which made life difficult for the likes of Alex Scott, who was eventually hooked at half time after a difficult afternoon.
As a result, Unai Emery and Co. weren’t necessarily gutted to be without Tielemans despite the level of performance he has shown this season.
It feels like this could serve the Villans well as they prepare to welcome Tottenham to Villa Park on Friday (16 May) in another huge clash in the top five race.