Popular Post John Posted February 17, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted February 17, 2020 Another late goal won it at Villa Park yesterday, but this time the boot was on the other foot and the late winner left us devastated, rather than ecstatic. This was a good game and we shouldn’t forget that Villa made a big contribution to that. A point would have been well deserved and it would have seen us, view the game much differently at the final whistle. As it was two stoppage time goals, at the end of both halves, did for us. How did we come to be a goal down at half time, having dominated the first quarter of the game and having had the best of the first half? Tyrone’s tonsillitis couldn’t have struck him down earlier during the winter break could it? How did Spurs not have a player booked, when we had two of our players shown a yellow card? When will VAR begin to give us decisions, rather than conspire to rob us of crucial points? VAR did something that it is normally very loath to do yesterday, it chose to overturn a referee’s decision. It was brought in to prevent clear and obvious errors. It took over a minute to find a reason to award Spurs their penalty at the end of the first half, that in real time neither the crowd, the players nor the match officials, considered was a clear or an obvious penalty. VAR is fast running out of time to even out its decisions over the course of the season, to prevent it being seen to have had a significantly negative influence on our relegation struggle. The point that we had in our possession, as the game went into the last minute of stoppage time, might well have proved crucial at the end of the season, we now have to hope that dropping it doesn’t come back to haunt us in May. On the bright side, we are still outside the bottom three and will hopefully have Tyrone back for the next game and McGinn back, in around a month. We will win games if we play like this and can tighten things up at the back. To quote Jose, “I think they did not deserve to lose” and I agree with him. Spurs are a top side and we had them on the ropes early on. Had it not been for a late error we might have claimed a point. Four more wins could keep us up and I’m not yet quite convinced that is beyond us. Our defence had always looked susceptible to being hit on the break yesterday and so it painfully proved. We really can’t afford to be without our big hitters. We are already trying to cope without John McGinn and our already fragile defence looks incredibly shaky without Mings, who organises our defence so well and is so often what holds it together. Let’s not be too harsh on the player who came into the side in his place and was asked to fill his role yesterday. He did make the challenge that VAR chose to award a penalty for and it was his late lackadaisical mistake, that resulted in the late winner that so cruelly robbed us of the point that our overall performance had deserved. Let’s not forget that he also scored our equaliser though and we will need him, in games that are to come. My player ratings from a game that was entertaining for the neutral, but had a devastating end for us was: Pepe Reina – 8 – MOTM – Pepe was so unlucky to have ended up on the losing side yesterday, having kept us in the game until the last minute. Stood no chance with their first, third and was so unlucky with their second, when having dived to his right to save Son’s penalty, the striker was first to the rebound. Saved low at his near post from Bergwijn after 59 minutes and dived to his right 2 minutes later to keep out a Song effort. He parried a 70th minute cross at his near post from Aurier, after he had made his run behind Targett and saved a 86th minute shot from Son with his legs, to spare Baston’s blushes, before diving low to his left to save a 92nd minute shot from inside the box from Lo Celso. Frederic Guilbert – 7 – Made a well-timed 48th minute challenge on Bergwijn, who had run from inside his own half into our box, as he was about to shoot. Ezri Konsa - 5 – Ran back to challenge Dele Alli, after he had run onto a ball that had gone through him and Reina then did the rest, coming out to block his 73rd minute shot. Bjorn Engels– 5 – He experienced the highs and the very lows of football yesterday. Bjorn finally scored and was credited with his first Villa goal, when he got up well to head Jack’s 53rd minute corner into the right-hand corner of the net. He had earlier conceded a penalty, when he chased back into the box to challenge Bergwijn, who had run onto a 43rd minute long ball from the half-way line, having left our defenders in his wake. He then made the late schoolboy error that cost us the point, that we had fought so hard to win, when he looked to control a nothing ball played towards him in the middle of the park, rather than just hoof it forward. The ball ran agonisingly under his foot and allowed Son to run clear to score their third. He also blocked a 41st minute Bergwijn shot with his body, that VAR spent a full minute looking at, in the hope that it had struck his hand! Kortney Hause – 6 – The best of our three central defenders last night. Did well to get back to block Dele Alli’s 15th minute shot on the edge of the 6-yard box, after El Ghazi’s loose under hit back pass, which had been intended for him, was picked up by the midfielder. Got in another block on the 34th minute, as Moura was about to pull the trigger at the near post and blocked a 41st minute Dele Alli shot, when positioned inside the 6-yard box. Got under a 58th minute Targett corner and his header therefore sailed well over the bar. Matt Targett – 7 – Made a well-timed 27th minute challenge on Aurier, as he was about to cross at the near post. Looked good last night and was our best defender, for me. Anwar El Ghazi - 7 – Hit a 4th minute free kick harmlessly over the bar from around 30 yards. Picked up Reina’s kick on the half-way line and ran purposely forward before hitting the 9th minute cross that Alderweireld turned in to give us the lead, under pressure from Samatta, behind him. Hit a powerful shot from outside of the box, that moved late and that Lloris saved with his hand, and then with his face on 37 minutes. Headed a bouncing ball, from a mistimed header from Engles, that Lloris easily clung onto on 64minutes. Danny Drinkwater – 5 – Unsurprisingly, given his lack of matches he’s still not up to pace yet. He is showing some signs of improvement, but can we afford the time it may take to bring him up to speed, given our present predicament? Douglas Luiz – 7 – Looked very good at times yesterday. Jack made a nice 18th minute run from just inside our half into the box, before finding him in the centre of the area unmarked, but his attempt on goal was blocked by Davies. What a difference another goal would have made then! Jack Grealish – 8 – Given little to no protection by referee Atkinson, who contented himself with telling his opponents how many times they had upended Jack, rather than giving them a yellow card. Made a run into the box and his 10th minute shot was deflected wide of the near post off Dier, ran into the box again a minute later and hit a shot just wide of the far post from the edge of the box. England’s midfield can’t do without him and nor can we. Mbwana Samatta – 8 – Was a thorn in the side of the Tottenham defence from the 1st minute until his 83rd minute substitution. Kept working tirelessly throughout. Headed a 22nd minute El Ghazi cross wide of the near post. Did well to chest down a 51st minute cross for El Ghazi, who shot straight at Lloris. His presence did much to unsettle Alderweireld, when he scored his own goal and he worked very well as a lone striker. He has hit the ground running. Substitutes: Marvelous Nakamba – 7 - Replaced Drinkwater after 60 minutes. He won the ball well and was determined last night. Must start the next game, in my opinion. Mahmoud Trezeguet – 5 - Came on for El Ghazi on 70 minutes. Didn’t make any significant contribution during the time he was on the field. Borja Baston – Replaced Samatta on 83 minutes. Not on long enough to gather a rating on his debut or to make any positive impression. Stay up Villa! John Lewis 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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