(Credit: Imago)

Aston Villa player ratings v Cardiff City: Maatsen, Garcia flop, Asensio shines

Pranav is a sports journalist who over nine years of experience working inside newsrooms, including but not limited to News Associates, The Non League Paper, HT Media Group, VAVEL, Sportskeeda, Chichester Observer and Eastbourne Herald. He has graduated from St. Mary’s University, London, in Sports Journalism (MA). He specialises in news related to takeovers, club finances and injuries.

Published on:

28 Feb 2025, 4:28 pm

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.

Aston Villa captain John McGinn (credit: Imago)

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.

Aston Villa attacker Marcus Rashford provided an assist v Cardiff City (Credit: Imago)

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.

Aston Villa