Brighton 1-2 Aston Villa player ratings: Ings fills vital role for Emery, Mac Allister goes from hero to zero

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Aston Villa (Mac Allister 1′ | Ings (pen) 20′, 54′)

Aston Villa won their second successive Premier League match under new manager Unai Emery as they came from behind to beat Brighton on the south coast.

In their final Premier League match before the break for the World Cup in Qatar, the home side took the lead within the opening minute when Alexis Mac Allister won the ball too easily from Douglas Luiz on the edge of the Villa penalty area.

The Brazilian was left flat-footed after picking up a risky pass out from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, before striking a neat finish into the net to reward his own smart pressing and put his team on the front foot from the get-go.

The Seagulls looked comfortable at 1-0 but Villa were level before the first quarter of the game has passed when Danny Ings scored from the penalty spot after Lewis Dunk brought down John McGinn with a late sliding tackle as the Scot burst onto a through ball from Emiliano Buendia. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez got a hand to the ball, which Ings struck slightly left of the centre of the goal, but the power in the effort was too much for the Spaniard.

At the start of the second-half Brighton had the ball in the net as Leandro Trossard unleashed a stunning dipping volley which crashed in off the crossbar, but the referee had already blown his whistle for a push by the Belgian in the back of Villa defender Matty Cash.

Then, in a role reversal of the opening goal, Luiz picked the pocket of Mac Allister on the edge of the Brighton box to play in Ings, who rounded the sprawling Dunk before tucking a deflection into the net via a deflection off Levi Colwill to turn the game around for Emery’s side.

With 20 minutes remaining Brighton were denied a clear penalty when Lucas Digne took too long while lining up a clearance inside the Villa box and kicked through the leg of Solly March rather the ball. A VAR check was conducted but, inexplicably, referee Chris Kavanagh was told to call play on.

From there Brighton laid siege to the Villa penalty area but they were unable to fashion any real chances other than sole header from Colwill, stifled by the narrow tactical blueprint Emery has employed throughout his managerial career.

The result leaves Brighton in seventh, while Villa move up to 12th.

Here is how i saw the performances of every player…

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Brighton player ratings

Robert Sanchez – Could possibly have had a stronger wrist when facing Ings’ penalty, but had already gone the wrong way. Couldn’t do much about Villa’s second having already made his move before the ball shifted in the other direction after nicking off Colwill. 5/10

Pascal Gross – Very close to scoring directly from a corner in the first half with a sizzling delivery which Martinez clawed away. Couple of lacklustre clearances from unfamiliar right-back position invited some pressure onto his team, but largely offered sense on the ball and good set-piece delivery. 6/10

Levi Colwill – Started a Premier League match for the first time since joining from Chelsea this summer and gave a good account of himself, showing good reading of the game and strength on a few occasions. Unlucky to see his attempted block on Ings’ shot end up in the net for Villa’s second. 6/10

Lewis Dunk – Dreadful decision to slide in on McGinn when the Scot had beaten him for pace to latch onto Buendia’s pass. Got nowhere near the ball and gifted Villa a penalty in a game they had looked uncomfortable in until then, before selling himself with a needlessly desperate lunge for the second goal. 3/10

Pervis Estupinan – Offered pace and width throughout and looks increasingly comfortable in De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 system, where full-backs are asked to relentlessly run the flanks and provide creativity. Plenty of good crosses and cutbacks into the box which team-mates couldn’t quite make the most of. 7/10

Alexis Mac Allister – Showed smart pressing and excellent composure to give his side the early lead. Combined aggression with technique throughout to lead his team from the middle pitch in the first half, but lost possession far too easily himself in the second to allow Villa to take the lead. 5/10

Moises Caicedo – Offered plenty of the endeavour and graft which has earned him plenty of admirers so far this season, but struggled to help deal with faster Villa breaks on a couple of occasions and is more limited in possession than his colleague in midfield. 5/10

Solly March – Should have won his side a penalty when he stole in ahead of Digne’s clearance in the second-half, but was left in a heap on the floor without being given the decision. Other than that one moment had little impact on a game in which Brighton looked far more dangerous down the opposite wing. 5/10

Adam Lallana – Made a significant contribution to the first goal by pressing Martinez when the goalkeeper had the ball, forcing him to play it quickly and giving team-mate Mac Allister the opportunity to win it back. Withdrawn after just four minutes through injury. N/A

Leandro Trossard – Pretty quiet by his own high standards, unable to significantly impact the game other than by volleying superbly into the net once he had already fouled Cash at the start of the second-half. 5/10

Danny Welbeck – Returned to the starting eleven as the in-form Kaoru Mitoma was absent through illness, but looked isolated for the majority of the time, unable to stretch a Villa backline which was happy to play as narrow as possible. 5/10

Substitutes

Julio Enciso – Replaced Lallana right at the start of the game. 18-year-old looked lost for most of the game, barely touching the ball, giving it away a lot of the time he did have possession, and not offering much in terms of pressing. Removed before the hour-mark. 4/10

Joel Veltman – Replaced Enciso with just over half-an-hour to play, allowing Groß to move further forward. N/A

Denis Undav – Came on for Welbeck with around 20 to play but was unable to influence play. N/A

Tariq Lamptey – Replaced Estupinan late on. N/A

Aston Villa player ratings

Emiliano Martinez – Dreadful pass out to Luiz left his team-mate with in big trouble, then dived the wrong way before Mac Allister had taken the shot, putting his side on the back foot from the get-go. Passed it pretty well after that but was almost embarrassed by poor positioning from the corner when Gross almost scored. Wasted time well in the final stages. 4/10

Matty Cash – Made a brilliant run and cross in the build-up to the second goal, picking out Buendia inside the area for the Argentine to hit the bar. Struggled a little against Estupinan’s consistent threat but had little help from those around him. 6/10

Ezri Konsa – Looked a little shaky in the early stages, like the majority of those around him, but grew into the game and defended well against a slew of crosses in the final few minutes to leave Brighton increasingly desperate. 6/10

Tyrone Mings – Booked in the first half for a foul on Trossard, leaving him on a tightrope, but defended very well indeed after that and talked those around him through proceedings in the final 15 to 20 minutes when Brighton were pressing for the equaliser. 6/10

Lucas Digne – Extremely lucky to get away without conceding a penalty when he dawdled in possession inside his own penalty area and recklessly kicked March instead of the ball. Could have cost his side a hard-fought win and was removed shortly afterwards. 4/10

Jacob Ramsey – Always willing to take the ball off his deeper team-mates and carry it up the pitch or play a vertical pass in order to try and make progress. Lacked quality with his final ball or shot at times but was a direct threat with the ball at his feet and has been the brightest spot in a pretty poor opening portion of the season for Villa. 6/10

Boubacar Kamara – Has only just returned from injury but played superbly, making six tackles and a series of headed clearances from crosses to take the pressure off his team. Emery’s tight 4-4-2 where midfielders’ main responsibility is to protect the back four and make the team resistant to counter-attacks looks perfectly suited to the young Frenchman’s skillset. 8/10

Douglas Luiz – Caught cold by Martinez’s poor pass for the early goal but was still far to weak in the challenge with Mac Allister, tumbling to the floor while climbing a foul when he should have been putting pressure on the Argentine. Then decided to do the same himself, making amends setting up the goal which gave his team the lead. 6/10

John McGinn – Started in the Premier League for the first time since Steven Gerrard’s sacking, and made a brilliant, powerful run to beat Dunk to the ball and draw a foul for the penalty. Helped kill time with his experience and intelligence in the final stages of the game. 6/10

Emiliano Buendia – Came alive to find McGinn with a superbly timed and weighted pass for the penalty and hit the bar with a diving header from Cash’s cross. Looks more comfortable playing centrally in Emery’s narrow shape than out wide in the 4-3-3 Gerrard mostly favoured. 6/10

Danny Ings – Penalty was neither in the corner nor fully down the middle, and second goal was deflected in, but led the line very well and brought team-mates into play throughout. Provided the kind of efficacy in front of goal and attacking leadership which made strikers like Kevin Gameiro and Gerard Moreno crucial in previous Emery systems at Sevilla and Villarreal. 7/10

Substitutes

Ashley Young – Replaced Jacob Ramsay with just over 20 minutes to play and went to right wing-back in a back five, scithing down Estupinan as he broke forward. Did what was asked of him by helping the team see the game out and hit a shot narrowly wide of the near post following a corner. 6/10

Leon Bailey – Came on for Buendia in the latter stages. N/A

Leander Dendoncker – Replaced Luiz late on. N/A

Ludwig Augustinsson – Replaced Digne late on. N/A

Cameron Archer – Replaced Ings late on. N/A

Emery: Confidence is coming

“The players were feeling like they were bottom of the Premier League and two big victories have given us confidence to achieve the next position, looking up. I think the confidence is coming for each player – that’s what results give you.

“I am so proud of our players. We compete very well today. We didn’t play brilliant, but we play like we needed when they scored so quickly.

“Our reaction was amazing and I’m so proud of them.”

from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/gKOwAE0

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