Aston Villa claimed a 2-0 victory in a hard-fought derby clash against Wolves on Saturday afternoon (30 March).
Unai Emery’s side kept an in-form Wolves side at bay at Villa Park to continue their pursuit of Champions League football next season.
Moussa Diaby opened the scoring for the hosts before a chipped effort from Ezri Konsa doubled their lead after the break.
Had a quiet evening between the sticks but deserves credit for a vital save against Rayan Ait-Nouri when the game was goalless. Distribution was flawless.
Ezri Konsa [7]
Full of confidence on the back of his England call-up. He was defensively solid and capped a strong performance with a rare goal – regardless of whether he intended it or not.
Diego Carlos [5]
Dominant at the back. Nullified all threat from young Wolves forward Leon Chiwome and was confident in possession.
Pau Torres [6]
Villa’s Spanish stalwart has established a formidable partnership with Carlos and the two centre-backs complemented each other well. What Torres lacks in physique he makes up for with his incredible ball control and silky passing.
Alex Moreno [3]
So wonky was his radar, he was the anti-Luke Littler. Far too many misplaced passes and wayward crosses. His teammates continued to find him in space on the left but almost every final ball lacked quality. Disappointing.
Leon Bailey [7]
Faultless. Dropped into a deeper midfield position by Emery and thrived. Bailey not only was a constant threat going forward but the Jamaican winger also performed his defensive duties superbly.
Youri Tielemans [8]
Somewhat surprisingly given his hit-and-miss-record, ran the show in midfield. Was involved in almost every chance carved out by Villa and deserved to leave with more assists to his name. His only downside was sloppy defending and a lazy yellow card picked up in the first half.
Douglas Luiz [6]
Steady and reliable – as always. Villa dominated possession and Luiz provided a solid foundation for his side to launch attacks.
Morgan Rogers [8]
A surprise star. He was given a chance to shine in the starting lineup and took it with both hands. Was able to bulldoze through the Wolves midfield with his skillful dribbling and he has proved to Emery that he should keep his spot.
Moussa Diaby [7]
Sent Villa Park into raptures with a venomous effort in the first half. Diaby started slowly but grew into his striker role in Emery’s revised 4-4-2 system. His importance in this Villa side is undervalued and he showed why today.
Ollie Watkins [5]
A rare off-day for Villa’s frontman. Will rue a huge missed chance in the first half but still caused problems for Wolves’ backline before being replaced at half-time.
SUBSTITUTES
Jhon Duran [5] – Struggled to make an impact up front after replacing Watkins but continued to make dangerous runs and keep Wolves defenders on their toes.
Nicolo Zaniolo [7] – Injected plenty of energy into Villa’s midfield and almost immediately etched his name on the scoresheet only to be denied by a good save from Jose Sa.
Lucas Digne [6] – Offered far more than Moreno going forward. Deserves to regain his starting spot.
Tim Iroegbunam [5] – N/A
Kaine Kesler-Hayden [5] – N/A
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