Aston Villa vs Wolves Player Ratings as Ollie Watkins inspire the host for an epic comeback

Aston Villa rose from the death when hosting Wolverhampton in the West Midlands Derby at Villa Park, Birmingham. Wolves put the host behind as Matheus Cunha scored in the first half. After the break, Villa started to pull themselves together, keeping the possession for then building the attacks.

Ollie Watkins started Villa’s comeback with his goal in the 73rd minute. Caught up with the momentum, Ezri Konsa scored the host’s second goal to bring them ahead for the first time since kick-off. Jhon Duran put the ice on the cake with his slide in the fourth minute of added time.

Aston Villa Player Ratings vs Wolves

Goalkeeper

Emiliano Martinez – 6.6

Denied numerous chances from Wolverhampton which prevented his side to concede more goals.

Defenders

Ezri Konsa – 7.6

Put the team ahead for the first time since kick-off with his goal. Getting back the momentum from the Wolves who were ahead in the first half.

Diogo Carlos – 6.6

Put up a solid defending at the back alongside Pau Torres despite conceding one goal in the first half. He showed a great mentality in bringing Villa back from death.

Pau Torres – 6.7

His partnership with Carlos for the rest of the match deserved to be recognized more as the pair helped Villa avoid the defeat.

Lucas Digne – 6.8

Helped his team to keep up with Wolves’ intensity, particularly on the flank side.

Midfielders

Amadou Onana – 7

Showed himself was a worth signing as he bossed the midfield to keep Wolves to possess the ball for a long time.

Youri Tielemans – 7

Guarded the midfield well amid the opponents’ pressure. He distributed the ball to his teammates to open spaces and create chances.

Morgan Rogers – 6.6

Kept the balance in the midfield as he kept up with Tielemans and Onana who showed a great mentality throughout the game.

Forwards

John McGinn – 6.5

McGinn had to leave the pitch early due to injury. However, he helped Villa to survive the game with his contribution in the final third

Jacob Ramsey – 6.7

Put on the threats for Wolves from the left flank as Watkins attacked from the other side of the pitch.

Ollie Watkins – 6.9

It was an average performance from Watkins until his name showed up on the score sheet. He scored a goal from two shots on goal while missing one big chance which prevented him from scoring a brace.

Substitutions

Ian Maatsen – 6.7

One clearance and one interception were all the best he could give to Villa apart from the 86 percent accurate passing rate during the 45 minutes of his presence.

Leon Bailey – 7.2

Stepped up for Digne by providing key passes to his teammates up front.

Ross Barkley – 6.6

Helped Villa to keep control over the midfield since his presence in the second half, particularly since Onana left.

Jhon Duran – 6.9

Sealed the deal for Villa with his goal in the very late minutes of the match. No chance for Wolverhampton to recover from that.

Emiliano Buendia – N/A

He didn’t have enough time to show his worth due to limited playing time on the pitch.

Manager: Unai Emery – 7.4

His experience resulted in a game-changing situation for Aston Villa who was close to suffering a humiliating defeat at home.

Also Read: Liverpool vs Bournemouth Player Ratings: The Reds are back on the winning track

Wolves Player Ratings vs Aston Villa

Goalkeeper

Sam Johnstone – 6.9

He couldn’t do better when the game was entering the critical minutes, resulting in Villa’s home comeback.

Defenders

Rayan Aït-Nouri – 6.3

His impressive performance during the first half didn’t continue for the rest of the match as he struggled to keep the pace.

Craig Dawson – 6.8

Switched off during the match’s critical minutes, resulting in Villa scoring three goals inside 20 minutes.

Yerson Mosquera – 7

Defended so well but it was unfortunate that he left the pitch early due to injury.

Nelson Semedo – 6.7

Semedo struggled to keep up with Villa’s high intensity, resulting in him getting a yellow card from the referee.

Midfielders

Andre Trindade – 7.2

Dominated the midfield with his composure alongside his teammates. However, his bold performance in the midfield didn’t bring any points for Wolves.

Mario Lemina – 6.8

Found it hard to fight with Villa’s midfielder for the rest of the match. He got a yellow card from the referee due to a harsh challenge.

Joao Gomes – 7.2

It was a great performance by Gomes as he collected 95 percent passing accuracy. However, it was not enough to give his team victory.

Forwards

Matheus Cunha – 7.6

His goal was what set him apart from his teammates in this game. It was unfortunate that Wolves couldn’t maintain the lead.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – 6.9

Not a single dribble attempt was successfully taken despite winning three ground duels. His effort was not enough to give a victory for Wolves

Jørgen Strand Larsen – 6.4

Failed to do his job as a centre-forward despite having one shot on target. Larsen left the pitch in the 65th minute, making way for Guedes.

Substitutions

Goncalo Guedes – 6.5

The Portuguese was expected to bring changes to the Wolves’ game by scoring at least a goal, but he failed to do so.

Rodrigo Gomes – 6.5

Four duels won was his best contribution during the 19 minutes of his presence on the pitch.

Santiago Bueno – 6.7

Replacing the in-form Mosquera in the midfield was a big task to do and that was the case with Bueno who came on eight minutes before the final whistle.

Tommy Doyle – 6.6

During the 11 minutes he spent on the pitch, Doyle collected one tackle, winning one duel, but losing the ball six times.

Manager: Gary O’Neil – 6.4

Apart from Cunha’s goal in the first half, none of his plans worked out to keep the Wolves in the winning favor.

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