Evann Guessand put us ahead early on as Villa started brightly and created multiple chances to stretch our lead and put the game to bed.
However, a lack of ruthlessness in the final third ultimately proved to be our downfall, as having failed to take those chances, our hosts fought back and secured all three points by twice exploiting our defensive high line.
Villa were dreadful in the second half as we handed the impetus and momentum to Go Ahead Eagles, and although we improved in the latter stages in our search for a way back into the encounter, Emiliano Buendia’s missed penalty summed up our night as we return home bitterly disappointed as our winning streak came to an abrupt end.Aston Villa player ratings vs Go Ahead Eagles:
Emiliano Martinez, 5 – Didn’t have much to do, but although he was beaten by an unfortunate deflection for the first goal, our vulnerable high line was exposed again for the second as we weren’t sufficiently organised enough to contain our opponents and Martinez had a part in that.
Victor Lindelof, 4.5 – Asked to play in an unnatural role at right-back, and although he slotted in well at times as part of our tactical set-up, he was limited throughout as we lacked balance in the side.
Tyrone Mings, 4.5 – Good to see him back from injury, but we’ve seen this partnership with Pau not work at Brentford, and it didn’t work here either. Aside from the imbalance it creates with two left-footed centre-halves, we were nowhere near organised or disciplined enough with our high line.
Pau Torres, 4.5 – Disappointed for similar reasons to Mings, but also lacked his usual composure and quality in possession too. The conditions didn’t help, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for the Spaniard.
Ian Maatsen, 5 – Pushed forward to provide us with width and an attacking dynamic, but he’ll be disappointed with his contribution, or lack of, in our attempt to deal with our defensive difficulties as he was caught out in the high line.
Lamare Bogarde, 5 – Much like Villa as a whole, he started well as he shielded the backline effectively and tried to burst forward out of pressure. However, his presence and influence dissipated as the game went on.
Amadou Onana, 5 – Similar story to Bogarde, but as the more senior midfielder, he needed to be more commanding and physical throughout the game to maintain control for us. Showed quality breaking forward at times, but it wasn’t enough to help us protect our lead and impose ourselves.
Evann Guessand, 5 – Great to see him get his first goal for the club, but that was about as good as it got. Makes good runs off the ball to get into dangerous areas, but his final pass is still missing as he was wasteful in good attacking situations and in front of goal.
Emiliano Buendia, 4.5 – Threaded some great passes through in the first half as Villa were creating chances and looking dangerous, but he missed a big chance of his own early on and then ballooned his penalty over the bar in the latter stages to squander a big opportunity to at least secure a draw for us.
Jadon Sancho, 6 – Our brightest player on the pitch. Positive in taking defenders on, looked to receive the ball and influence things and made clever runs off the ball in the inside channel and out wide. Was just missing the final piece before being replaced.
Ollie Watkins, 4.5 – Had very little impact on the game and missed a big chance in the first half. Did well at times as a focal point up top to collect long balls and keep our moves going, but wasn’t anywhere near good enough against an opponent he should have cashed in against.
Substitutes:
Morgan Rogers, 5.5 – Looked bright after coming on and went close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Good to see him getting his confidence back, but couldn’t make a decisive impact in this one.
Matty Cash, 5.5 – Similar to Rogers, he added impetus and energy in the latter stages. Won the penalty that should have seen us take at least a point, but he showed how important he is for us in that right-back role.
Boubacar Kamara, 5 – Added calmness and control in midfield after coming on to help us sustain our pressure.
Donyell Malen, 5 – Looked sharp in and around the box with his touch, but couldn’t add that all-important goal contribution.
John McGinn, 5 – Straight into the action after coming on as he gave us a lift in the final period of the game, but it wasn’t enough to find a way through a stubborn Go Ahead Eagles who sat back in numbers to protect their lead.
