Martin Keown raves about ‘Wonderful’ Aston Villa midfield star after what he did vs Go Ahead Eagles
Aston Villa go into half-time level with Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday.
Evann Guessand’s first goal for Aston Villa gave Unai Emery’s side the advantage just four minutes in, bundling home a cross that came back out to him.
However, Mathias Suray levelled the match after evading the Villa defence and sending a deflected strike over Marco Bizot just before the break on 23 October.
Whilst Villa were expected to beat Go Ahead Eagles, they dominated around the pitch, only to let themselves down with poor defending at De Adelaarshorst.
Martin Keown immediately reacted to Guessand’s strike as it went in, but he decided to pick out someone else for their role beforehand.
Amadou Onana’s moment of magic key to Aston Villa’s goal
Amadou Onana has faced criticism this season, yet he was instrumental in all of Villa’s promising play during the first half in Deventer.
Onana drove forward with the ball before brilliantly finding Jadon Sancho with a weighted pass, whose cross fell to the path of Guessand to open the scoring.
Speaking live on TNT Sports during the match, Keown highlighted Onana’s impressive work.
He said: “There is an element of luck about the finish, but it was a wonderful through pass [by Onana].
“The goalkeeper is all over the place, and he does well, Guessand. It is just a tap in at the back post.”
| Stat | Amadou Onana |
| Apperances | 4 |
| Pass accuracy | 83.5% |
| Duels won | 65.5% |
Onana was woeful against Spurs, and fans have been growing impatient over his impact.
However, he showed his quality on the ball against Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday, and there is evidently much more to come for him in an Aston Villa shirt.
The 24-year-old still has a pass accuracy of 100 per cent in the match and has looked assured in possession, keeping things ticking over.
It may be early days in the competition, yet Villa are showcasing their strength in depth despite not maintaining their lead, with a crucial second half ahead.
Aston Villa must win to maintain perfect Europa League start
Emery is a specialist in the Europa League, winning the trophy four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.
Two of their toughest league phase matches are out of the way, having already faced Bologna and Feyenoord, as they look to finish in the top eight.
Aston Villa must improve in the second half if they want to maintain their 100 per cent start to the campaign, though, with Onana’s impact needing to be replicated.
Go Ahead Eagles were always going to be a tough test, yet Onana looks to be the key to unlocking their stubborn defence.
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