Aston Villa faced off against Leeds United at Elland Road earlier this evening, hoping to pick up a positive result on the road. The Villans made an electric start to the game as they scored the opener in the fifth minute courtesy of Anwar El Ghazi’s goal. The Whites enjoyed more of the ball but failed to get themselves level on the scoreline as Dean Smith’s men took a one-goal advantage into the half-time break.
Both teams fought tooth and nail in the second 45 minutes but struggled to break each other down as the contest finished 1-0 in favour of the West Midlands outfit.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player fared during the clash against the Whites.
GK: Emiliano Martinez – 7/10
The Villans keeper did well under pressure and pulled off some solid saves to secure another vital clean sheet away from home.
RB: Ahmed Elmohamady – 6.5/10
He made some important clearances at the back and also earned possession back for his team on a few occasions. However, he struggled to influence the game in the final third and ended the match with a yellow card to his name.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 7.5/10
Konsa did what was asked of him on the defensive end of the field and even blocked a couple of shots from the opposition. He will be quite content with the clean sheet this evening.
CB: Tyronne Mings – 8/10
Mings commanded his backline with authority and conviction during the 90 minutes. He did well to keep a shutout by clearing the danger time and time again for his side.
LB: Matt Targett – 6.5/10
Targett didn’t put a foot wrong in the game defensively but struggled to influence the game in the attacking third. He was also guilty of giving away the ball cheaply but did enough to win the game with the clean sheet intact.
CM: Jacob Ramsey – 6/10
Ramsey was lively at times and showed a few signs of promise during his time on the field. He ran out of energy and got replaced in the final quarter of the game.
CM: Marvelous Nakamba – 7/10
Nakamba kept a good shape at the back and made multiple interceptions for his team. However, his impact in the Leeds half was minimal.
CM: John McGinn – 7/10
McGinn worked his socks off to help his teammates out in defence and made one good run going forward.
LW: Anwar El Ghazi – 8.5/10
El Ghazi was a constant nuisance for the Leeds defenders and showed great first touch to set up his match-winning goal in the fifth minute. He just about deserves the man of the match award.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 7.5/10
He picked up an assist for setting up El Ghazi’s goal early in the game. He deserves credit for causing some headaches for the Leeds defenders.
RW: Bertrand Traore – 6/10
Traore made a couple of tackles but offered very little on the offensive end of the pitch.
Substitutes:
CM: Morgan Sanson – 6.5/10
Sanson came off the bench for the final 12 minutes and did enough to see out the victory for his team.
LW: Trezeguet – N/A
He didn’t get enough time to influence the game.
