John Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 We took the game to our visitors during the first quarter of last night’s game. Manchester United had looked below par and we had shaded the early minutes. With a little luck, we might even have gone ahead after 25 minutes when a Trezeguet shot struck the post, but a minute later, a referee’s poor decision, gifted the visitors their 13th penalty of the season and with it the game. Martial aimed a ball towards Fernandez on the edge of the box, it took a touch off Hause and Konsa stuck out a leg to try to intercept. Bruno jumped up and got his right foot onto the ball, and tried to turn, but his foot landed on Ezri’s shin. He then fell in a heap and cynically claimed a penalty. Referee Moss could not wait to give it, there was not a moment’s hesitation. The decision went to VAR, why bother? A referee’s decision is invariably supported by the official at Stockley Park and so it proved again with Graham Scott on this occasion. The decision was wrong, it was not a penalty, was it a clear and obvious error? Is anything in VAR’s opinion? Solskjaer said “I think it’s a penalty” but he would say that wouldn’t he? The Premier League match centre had a different opinion, telling MOTD “It was the wrong decision. It should have been overturned by VAR but wasn't and should actually have been a foul on Konsa”. How will that that help us at the end of the season? The decision proved costly for us last night, whether we would have got a result or not at the end of the day, is open to question. One thing that is for certain, is that we would have had a better chance, had a penalty not been wrongly awarded and had it not then been decided, not to correct that hasty decision. Another is that VAR has not been our friend this season! Clubs at the foot of the table do not often have their fair share of luck, other than in the case of Bournemouth last night. Villa certainly did not last night. We hit the post, within a minute had a penalty wrongly awarded against us and then conceded a second with the last kick of first half stoppage time, but the game was all but over by then. Once we go behind that is it and that was sadly again the case last night. Manchester United are winning games for fun currently. They did not need the help of the referee or Stockley Park, but they got it. They played much of the game at walking pace, but they were dominant and could easily have won this by an embarrassing margin. Villa started brightly enough but were so deflated by going behind, and the players heads soon dropped. At the end we looked like a team that have accepted relegation. Rather than to try to get back into the game, we seemed to focus on damage limitation immediately, possibly because the players themselves, accept that the chances of us scoring one, let alone two goals were close to zero. Defeat always seemed inevitable before the game, but we seemed too ready to accept this, once we had gone behind, due to an appalling decision by the referee, which was rubber stamped by VAR. This game was done after 27 minutes and it made painful watching after that. Sunday’s game with Palace will now determine whether our season will be done by this weekend. This really is a must win game, if we are to have any slender chance of taking our relegation struggle to the last game. As things stand, each game brings us slowly, but surely nearer to the drop and we seem to be going down without a fight, in empty grounds that lack any sort of match atmosphere. Still at least the integrity of the game has been preserved! My player ratings from a game that has left the stout lady clearing her throat, is: Pepe Reina – 6 – Sent the wrong way from the spot by Fernandes on 27 minutes and had no chance of getting to Greenwood’s powerful shot into the left-hand corner of his net, from the edge of the box. Pepe was also unsighted for their third, when Pogba curled a shot from the edge of the box into the right-hand corner of his net. Gathered a 35th minute Martial shot from the edge of the area, low to his left and then pushed a Greenwood shot from the edge of the box to his left and Taylor cleared the loose ball. Stopped Rashford adding a fourth on 94 minutes, saving his shot with his right foot. Ezri Konsa - 6 – Had a good game, one of the few. Kortney Hause – 6 – A solid display. Tyrone Mings – 4 – Lacked concentration when a Pogba ball into the box, went through his legs on 12 minutes. Picked up a clearance inside their half and was then outbattled by Martial, which led to their second, ran back quickly but could do nothing to prevent the goal. Needs to iron out these lapses, which can prove so costly and that so detract from his otherwise solid work. Neil Taylor – 6 – Did well to get back and take the ball off Martial near the 6-yard box on 57minutes, as he was about to pull the trigger. Anwar El Ghazi - 3 – Hit a wayward first half shot from outside of the box that went well wide of the left post, he was again very disappointing. John McGinn – 4 – Trezeguet played the ball to him on 54 minutes, but his shot from outside of the box was easily gathered by de Gea. Showed a couple of signs that he might be soon able to regain some of his earlier season form. Oh, how we need him to do so quickly! Douglas Luiz – 7 – MOTM – The one player that looked like he was not in any way overawed by the team that he was facing. Jack Grealish – 4 – Misjudged a nice 18th minute cross from Konsa, which found him on the far edge of the 6-yard box, but he hit his first time shot over the bar. Could have done more to close down Pogba, who had been left unmarked on the edge of the box, when he took a touch from the corner before hitting their third. Drifted too deep and played too wide to have the influence that we needed him to have last night. We have come to expect a lot more than we have been getting from Jack since restart. It does not help that opponent’s know that he is our only threat, but his performances of late will not keep us up and they will not tempt prospective new employers to make offers, that his current football club would consider acceptable, either. Mahmoud Trezeguet – 6 – Did at least chase after the ball, make the odd challenge, and look up for it. He was unlucky to see his 25th minute shot hit the post, rather than the back of the net. Having dispossessed Pogba, he ran to the edge of the area before curling a shot past de Gea that struck his left-hand post. Mbwana Samatta – 5 – Lacked service, support, and his earlier sharpness. Substitutes: Conor Hourihane – 4 - Replaced El Ghazi after 58 minutes. Had an 82nd minute shot blocked by Williams, after Douglas had squared the ball back to him at the far post, made no telling impression on the game during the time he was on. Marvelous Nakamba – 4 - Came on for McGinn on 59 minutes with a view to keeping the score to three, I assume. Currently a shadow of the player, that we were impressed by during his early games. Keinan Davis – 5 – Replaced Konsa on 59 minutes. How he and we, need him to find the net on Sunday. Indiana Vassilev - Replaced Davis on 84 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating in another brief appearance. Stay up Villa! John Lewis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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