Player Match Ratings: Cash loss surrenders our advantage!

[John]

This game started so unbelievably well, when we went in front after just 20 seconds. Could this be another slaughter of the league champions? Not this time, the visitors became increasingly dominant and were ahead at half time, albeit having been brought down to ten men in the dying minutes of that half.

Could we take advantage of the man advantage and stage a comeback? We might have done, had we not squandered that advantage 11 minutes into the second half. After that normal service was resumed and the champions elect were the team most likely to add to the scoring, we had shot ourselves in the foot due to Matty’s moment of madness, or in this case his two rash moments in three minutes.    

Manchester City recovered well from receiving the shock of going a goal down so early. They dusted themselves off and steadily began to dominate the game. They sprayed the ball around at will and produced quick touches, stringing together passes between each other with ease. The football they produced, is what we should aspire to. At times they reminded me of the Barcelona of a few years ago and they are running away with the league title for a reason.    

Stones offered us an unexpected opportunity to get back into this game with an unnecessary and clearly dangerous high late challenge on Ramsey, that rightly resulted in him leaving the field shortly before half time. For a few minutes, we had the ball at our feet for a change and the visitors minds were perhaps on protecting their lead rather than on extending it, but that was just for a fleeting few moments.   

On the positive side our defence did well to keep the difference between the two teams down to one goal, despite being under considerable pressure and facing an increasing number of attacks that threatened to add to the visitor’s goal tally. Had it not been for Emi coming for a cross that Rodri reached comfortably before he did and headed into the vacant net, then we might possibly have taken a point from this game, but I suspect the visitors always had another goal in them if one was needed.

After this game we are stuck in the bottom half of the table. Our poor run of results this year has seen us slip down the table place by place and although we remain just 2 points behind both Leeds and Arsenal, with a game in hand, games in hand are of little use if you do not get anything from them. Even Wolves who are 3 points behind us, having played one game more, now see the gap that was once a chasm between the two clubs, as a bridgeable fracture that they could soon close.  

My player ratings from a game that we were clearly second best in are:

Emiliano Martinez – 6 – Did well to get down to his left to block and then catch a 19th minute Mahrez shot, that had been aimed between his left-hand post and himself. Had no chance with their 21st minute equaliser. Bernardo Silva pulled the ball back from inside the left of the box, threading the ball between Targett and Mings, to Foden who hit the ball into the left-hand corner of the net from near the penalty spot. Did well to claim a low 32nd minute Mahrez cross, that was otherwise on the way to Gabriel Jesus for a tap-in. Came for, but failed to reach a 39th minute Silva cross from the left, that Rodri nodded on into the unguarded net. When you come out for them, you really do need to get them. This was a rare, but a costly error by Emi, in what was otherwise a good performance. Did very well to block a 50th minute Gundogan cross from the left-edge of the 6-yard box, with his outstretched left foot and thus prevented the ball reaching the waiting Mahrez for a tap-in.             

Matty Cash – 4 – Matty had been having a decent game until a reckless and unnecessarily strong 56th minute challenge on Foden inside their half, earned him his second yellow card within 3 minutes and cost us any hope that we may have been entertaining of getting something out of this game. Having been booked for holding Foden back after 54 minutes, he really should have not given the referee the chance to show him another card so soon, in such circumstances.  

Ezri Konsa – 7 – MOTM - Did well to intercept an 85th minute cross from inside the left of the box, that had been intended for Foden who had run inside the 6-yard box behind him. Another good and rock-solid display in the centre of our defence.  

Tyrone Mings – 7 – Played his part in organising a good defensive performance, when it was under constant pressure.

Matt Targett – 7 – Another that did well again at the back.

Bertrand Traore – 4 – He remains some way below his best of a few months ago.    

Douglas Luiz – 5 – Produced a slightly better performance than of late, against his former club. A Traore header fell to him on the left edge of the 6-yard box, but his 5th minute shot went into the side netting. Headed a 45th minute Ramsey cross from the right, harmlessly wide of the right-hand post, from left of the penalty spot. Hit a speculative 51st minute shot from around 30 yards, that Ederson comfortably gathered at his left post.

John McGinn – 6 – Gave us a very bright start to this game with a goal from a Watkins cross after just 20 seconds. Mings took a quick free kick inside his own half which Stones unsuccessfully stretched a leg out to intercept, the ball ran onto Watkins on the left-edge of the box. Ollie crossed the ball through the legs of Ruben Dias and John who had run into the box turned the ball into the right-hand corner of the net. This was his first goal for us since his first of the season, in the thrashing of Liverpool. Another one or two against the Baggies, would be nice John!

Jacob Ramsey - 5 – Substituted at half time with a view to exploiting our frustratingly temporary man advantage. Traore pinged a nice 27th minute ball across the field for Ramsey to run onto, but Walker brought him down near the edge of the box only for his appeal for a free kick to be ignored by the referee. Jacob was then found inside the box by Douglas a minute later, but his ambitious shot from the left ended up in the side netting. McGinn played a ball from the edge of his own box that led to the late ugly challenge by Stones just inside their half, that brought him a fully justified red card.   

Marvelous Nakamba – 5 – Popped up a couple of times to put an end to a threatening attack.                                         

Ollie Watkins – 6 – Starved of service, but he did claim an early assist for our goal, when he crossed through the legs of Ruben Dias for McGinn to put us ahead within the 1st minute.    

Substitutes:

Keinan Davis – 5 - Replaced Ramsey at half time. His introduction was a positive move and an attempt to take advantage of our man advantage. I would not have taken a midfield player off myself, as that was the area that the visitors were most dominant. As it was, our man advantage disappeared all too soon and Keinan therefore then only offered us another forward, who lacked the service to make a positive impact on the game.

Ross Barclay - 5 – Came on for Marvelous after 63 minutes and this was a slight step up on some of his recent displays.

Anwar El Ghazi – Replaced Traore on 75 minutes. Not on long enough to earn any rating.

Up the Villa!

John Lewis

[lexicon]

A six for McGinn? Jesus, John - he was pretty much terrible besides the goal. Talk about picking favourites!

Very harsh on Traore too IMO.

[John]

7 hours ago, lexicon said:

A six for McGinn? Jesus, John - he was pretty much terrible besides the goal. Talk about picking favourites!

Very harsh on Traore too IMO.

It's all about opinions. We clearly differ on this occasion concerning these two. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to add your reply. 

[Five Ken McNaughts]

Great stuff, John!  Agree with your MOTM. You also reminded me of some of the good things Martinez did aside from the one (big) mistake.