Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham Player Ratings: Unai Emery outsmarts Ange Postecoglou in a tight FA Cup contest

“Sacked in the morning” was ringing around Villa Park today as Aston Villa raced to a 2-0 lead over Tottenham in the FA Cup. Mathys Tel did manage to pull one back at the very end to make it 2-1 but the home side held on and made it to the 5th Round.

Jacob Ramsey scored early in the game, thanks to an error from Antonin Kinsky. The goalkeeper made up for his error with some unreal saves, but he got no help from his teammates.

Morgan Rogers made it 2-0 just after the hour mark, after a poor clearance from Porro on the line. Tel made it a nervy ending for Aston Villa with a goal in injury time, but the home side held on to win. Here are Aston Villa vs Tottenham player ratings.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Tottenham

Goalkeeper

Emi Martinez – 8: Saved Aston Villa with an unreal save when the scoreline was 1-0 and then stepped up every time needed. Hardly troubled by the Tottenham players until the goal from Tel.

Defenders

Andres Garcia – 7.5: The new signing showed his worth and was sensational going forward. However, he stayed back a little more after the first half-hour of the game.

Ezri Konsa – 6: He was forced off just before the half-hour mark due to an injury. He was the last non-cup-tied center-back for Villa this evening and he too is now injured.

Boubacar Kamara – 7.5: A superb performance despite playing out of position. He held his own against Son and was also dealing well with Moore and Kulusevski.

Lucas Digne – 6.5: He dominated against Moore and Kulusevski and never gave them any chance to get a shot away.

Midfielders

John McGinn – 7: He was calm and composed today and showed why he is the club captain. He loved playing the ball from deep and helped Aston Villa start counters.  

Youri Tielemans – 8: Another unreal performance from the Belgian today. He was up and down the pitch but his shots were rather poor in the final third.  

Leon Bailey – 7.5: He did all he could to get things going in the final third. However, his best contribution was in the defensive third when Garcia charged forward.

Morgan Rogers – 9: The Villa star was at his best today and was the man of the match as well. He got the assist for the first goal and then scored one himself in the second half.

Jacob Ramsey – 8.5: He will consider himself lucky today as his worst shot went into the goal, while his best efforts were saved. Could have easily ended the game with 2-3 goals.

Forward

Donyell Malen – 7.5: He did not get a goal or an assist today but was one of the best players on the pitch. He was not great in linkup play but his runs were making space for his teammates around the box.

Substitutes

Lamare Bogarde – 7.5

Marcus Rashford – 6

Marco Asensio – 7

Ian Maatsen – 5

Manager

Unai Emery – 8.5: He executed his plan to perfection and his players made the most of their chances as well.

Also Read: Birmingham City 2-3 Newcastle United Player Ratings: Controversy spoils FA Cup magic

Tottenham player ratings vs Aston Villa

Goalkeeper

Antonin Kinsky – 8: The goalkeeper might be responsible for the first goal of the game, but he kept them in the game with some brilliant saves – most of them in 1v1 situations.

Defenders

Pedro Porro – 6.5: He was getting beaten by almost all the Aston Villa players today. He took out his frustration on Marcus Rashford, but the referee failed to spot the foul.

Kevin Danso – 6: He had the best chance of the second half to get Tottenham back in the game, but somehow put his effort wide. Was not at his best defensively too.

Archie Gray – 5.5: He was unable to deal with the Aston Villa forwards, especially Asensio, as the PSG loanee ran rings around him.

Djed Spence – 6.5: He was decent today and managed to do well against Bailey. However, there was nothing much he could do to get them back in the game.

Midfielders

Lucas Bergvall – 6: He was all over the pitch but could not create much for his team. He was chasing the ball more than controlling it.

Rodrigo Bentancur – 4: He was just abysmal. If not for Son, the Uruguayan would have been the worst player on the pitch.

Mickey Moore – 6.5: A match where he was trying his best but just could not do much. It was a surprise to see Ange taking him off at halftime.

Dejan Kulu – 8.5: He was the one trying to make things happen for Tottenham again. He worked hard to win the ball and create chances, but so many went to waste before Tel scored in the final minutes.

Mathys Tel – 7.5: He scored his first goal for Tottenham today but it will not be a memory for him to remember as they ended up losing. He was brilliant every time he got on the ball but for Spurs, that was very little today.

Forward

Son Heung-Min – 3: He missed a golden chance to level things up early and was just not able to get most of the basics right today.

Substitutes

Yves Bissouma – 6.5

Pape Matar Sarr – 6

Manager

Ange Postecoglou – 5: He stuck to his plan but did not get his substitutions spot on. Should have been more proactive and taken off Son at some point in the game.

Also Read: Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid Player Ratings: Both teams share spoils in the Madrid Derby as the La Liga title race heats up

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