Aston Villa played hosts to Brighton and Hove Albion at Villa Park earlier today hoping to build on their impressive start to this Premier League campaign. The Villans made a sloppy start to the game as they conceded a goal against the run of play in the 12th minute when Danny Welbeck scored with a chipped finish. The visitors hung on to their narrow advantage and went into the half-time break one goal to the good.
It took Dean Smith’s men just two minutes to get back into the contest after the midway interval as Ezri Konsa found the back of the net. However, Solly March regained the lead for his team just nine minutes later as Brighton managed to grind out a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Villans.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player performed during the contest against the Seagulls.
GK: Emiliano Martínez – 5.5/10
The Villans distributed the ball relatively well but won’t be happy after shipping in two goals during the game.
RB: Matty Cash – 6/10
He made a few important clearances but struggled to affect the game too much in the opposition half.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 7/10
Konsa was a rock at the back and popped up with the equalising goal early in the second half. He was also excellent with his ball-distribution out from the back.
CB: Tyrone Mings – 5/10
The English centre-back completely lost track of Danny Welbeck in the lead-up to Brighton’s opener in the 12th minute. He was far from convincing with his performance at the heart of Smith’s defence.
LB: Matt Targett – 5.5/10
He was defensively solid throughout the game but failed to make an impact going forward.
CM: Douglas Luiz – 5/10
The Brazilian midfield ace made one good chance during his time on the field. He ran out of gas and got subbed in the final quarter of the game.
CM: John McGinn – 5.5/10
McGinn tried to make things happen but gave away the ball quite a few times during the contest, which won’t please his manager.
RW: Trezeguet – 6/10
The Egyptian was a constant menace for the Brighton defenders. However, his finishing was woeful during the game.
CAM: Ross Barkley – N/A
The English midfielder picked up a hamstring injury early in the game and was forced off the field because of it.
LW: Jack Grealish – 6/10
The Villa skipper made a couple of decent chances but never looked like he had a goal in him.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 5.5/10
Watkins worked hard to fashion two great goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. However, he ended the game without having a shot at goal.
Substitutes:
CAM: Bertrand Traore – 6.5/10
Traore was lively and energetic after coming on to replace the injured Barkley in the fourth minute. However, he got tired in the second half and was replaced before the full-time whistle.
CM: Conor Hourihane – 5/10
He provided some fresh legs in midfield.
CAM: Anwar El Ghazi – 5/10
El Ghazi hardly got a chance to score after coming off the bench in the 73rd minute.
