Philippe Coutinho, John McGinn and Tyrone Mings struggled as Aston Villa lost 2-1 to local rivals Wolves at the Molineux in the Premier League on Saturday.
Wolves took the lead just six minutes into the game after some sloppy play from Aston Villa as slips from John McGinn and then Ezri Konsa allowed the hosts to take aim at goal, with Jonny Castro finding the back of the net. Fabio Silva almost made it 2-0 minutes later after another defensive mishap from the Villans, but the young striker could not make his chance count.
Aston Villa gradually started to threaten and came close to equalising around the half-hour mark when Jose Sa saved Leon Bailey’s effort. However, Steven Gerrard’s men conceded another in the 36th minute when Ashley Young turned a cross from Marcal into his own net to compound the visitors’ misery.
Villa continued to find it hard to cope with their hosts after the half-time break but managed to work out an opening, only for Ollie Watkins to place his effort wide. At the other end, Hwang Hee-chan came close to scoring the third goal for Wolves while Silva drew a top save from Emiliano Martinez.
A tense finale was set up when Jose Sa fouled Watkins to concede a penalty, which the England international tucked away with ease. However, Villa could not find the second goal to salvage a point from the clash and lost their third game in a row. Here are our player ratings for Gerrard’s men after a poor performance in the derby.
Aston Villa Player Ratings
Emiliano Martinez: 6/10
The Argentine was let down by some sloppy defending in front of him, and there was not much he could have done to stop either goal. Martinez did, however, pull off a fine save to deny Silva late in the second half.
Matty Cash: 5/10
The right-back had his moments when pushing forward but often left a lot of space behind, which the likes of Marcal and Daniel Podence made the most of. Cash had a deflected effort drift just wide late in the game.
Ezri Konsa: 4/10
Konsa was partly culpable for the opening goal as his slip allowed Podence to take a shot at goal, with Jonny at hand to convert the rebound. The Villa ace never looked comfortable at the back on the afternoon.
Tyrone Mings: 4/10
The Aston Villa skipper was sloppy throughout as he struggled to keep a lid on the lively Fabio Silva at the Molineux. Mings lost the ball in dangerous areas on several occasions, handing the hosts opportunities to score. He needs to pull up his socks quickly.
Lucas Digne: N/A
So sad to can’t help the team today ?? pic.twitter.com/QYv8gkbJLQ
— Lucas Digne (@LucasDigne) April 2, 2022
Digne lasted just 13 minutes before being taken off with another injury.
Morgan Sanson: 6/10
A rare start for the Frenchman, who has been linked with a summer return to Ligue 1. Sanson was one of the very few players who looked to take the game to Wolves and tried to drive Villa forward when on the ball. But lacked the requisite support to make a difference against a combative Wolves midfield unit.
John McGinn: 4/10
Picked as the No. 6 ahead of Douglas Luiz, McGinn showed that he is not cut out to play as a holding midfielder by himself. His slip allowed Joao Moutinho to start the move leading to the opening goal, and was constantly outdone by the veteran Portuguese. The Scotsman was sloppy in possession and lacked the discipline to provide any security to his defence.
McGinn at DM is a bizarre call from Gerrard. Don’t get that at all. #avfc
— Zoe? (@zoepritchard_) April 2, 2022
Jacob Ramsey: 5/10
The young Aston Villa ace worked hard throughout but could not get a foothold in the game against a robust Wolves’ midfield unit, even though they were without Ruben Neves. Ramsey lacked the quality and composure on the ball to make a difference.
Leon Bailey: 4.5/10
A surprise starter in attack, the Jamaican international showed some energy and ran hard but was not secure enough in possession which limited his impact. He did come close to scoring in the first half, only to see his effort get saved by Jose Sa.
Philippe Coutinho: 5/10
The Player to Watch in our match preview, Coutinho had a rather quiet outing as he failed to come out on top in the battle against Leander Dendoncker. The Barcelona loanee tried hard to carve out openings, but little worked for him at the Molineux. He forced a save from Sa in the second period just before being taken off.
Ollie Watkins: 5/10
Another game where the ref will do the utmost to let a team losing back into the game.
How is that a peno? Unreal.pic.twitter.com/to9AkMJ2xw
— Wolves Fancast (@wolvesfancast) April 2, 2022
The England international had it tough against Conor Coady and had to wait until the 57th minute for his first chance, which he should have taken after being in a 1v1 situation. Watkins spurned another opportunity not long after but won and converted the penalty late in the game to offer Villa a glimmer of hope.
SUBSTITUTES
Ashley Young: 4.5/10
He replaced the injured Digne in the 13th minute and struggled to cope with the energy and intensity of the opponents. Young diverted a cross into his own net to make it 2-0 for Wolves but somewhat redeemed himself with a last-ditch challenge to stop a certain goal before half-time. He created the chance for Watkins in the second half.
Douglas Luiz: 5/10
The Brazilian came on in place of Sanson with less than 20 minutes left and was able to offer more security in the middle of the park.
Emiliano Buendia: 6/10
The Argentine came on for Coutinho in the 74th minute and livened things up in attack for the Villans. Buendia should have started the game.
