Emiliano Buendia was the star man as Aston Villa came away with all three points after an impressive win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Aston Villa made it two wins on the bounce as they came away with a well taken three points from Turf Moor. The win ended Burnley’s four-game unbeaten streak following Sean Dyche’s sacking.
Steven Gerrard’s side were up for the game and took the lead early on courtesy of Danny Ings in the seventh minute. Emiliano Buendia, who assisted the former Southampton man, doubled the visitors’ lead in the 31st minute, handing the Villans an excellent advantage going into half-time.
Ollie Watkins got his name on the scoresheet with a 51st-minute goal that all but settled the tie. Burnley did eventually get themselves on the scoresheet in second-half stoppage time to add some prestige to the scoreline. Maxwel Cornet’s strike, if anything, was a mere subheading in the grand scheme of things.
The win has propelled Aston Villa to 43 points and within a shot of finishing in the top half. With both sides set to face off against each other in a couple of weeks, it remains to be seen if round two will end the same way. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Aston Villa players fared on the night.
Steven Gerrard: "I thought we were outstanding across the board." ? pic.twitter.com/Cb6PcbPjKN
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 7, 2022
Emiliano Martinez: 7/10
The Argentine dealt with everything thrown at him and even annoyed the Burnley crowd which was boisterous, to begin with. His only disappointment of the game would have been to lose out on a clean sheet in stoppage time. There was little for him to do all night as Villa thoroughly dominated proceedings.
Matty Cash: 8/10
Cash was solid defensively and made a spectacular cross that played a role in setting up Villa’s second goal of the day. He also went close to finding the back of the net himself with a strike that was only slightly off target in the second half.
Ezri Konsa: 7/10
He started off nervously but found his bearings as the game went on. Konsa will have been glad to see that his mistake did not cost Villa dear as Dwight McNeil robbed him off the ball to set up a brilliant chance for Burnley. It was a curiously confident night out for a player who has looked out of sorts this season.
Tyrone Mings: 7/10
The Englishman was in proper nick and marshalled his defence well on the night. He stood up well to the threat posed by Wout Weghorst and had the giant striker in his pocket all game. Mings will, however, be furious with his side’s inability to keep the clean sheet.
Lucas Digne: 7/10
The Frenchman produced a peach of an assist for Buendia as the Argentine doubled Villa’s lead in the 31st minute. Digne also played a role in setting up Villa’s third of the night and was also solid defensively. All in all, it was an excellent performance at both ends of the pitch.
Calum Chambers: 7/10
The former Arsenal man struggled to cope with the pace of the game in the initial stages and looked to be Villa’s weak link. However, he improved as the game wore on and also had much joy marking Ashley Barnes. The solid foundation he eventually went on to offer more or less gave the players ahead of him more freedom to attack.
John McGinn: 8/10
The Scottish international was Aston Villa’s Duracell bunny and was a bundle of energy all night. He was always available for the pass and provided an excellent cross that Watkins converted to make the score 3-0 for Villa. He was also not afraid to get stuck in and led Villa to victory in the midfield battle.
Good win away from home for the boys ? pic.twitter.com/KW0NmLn7Cr
— John McGinn (@jmcginn7) May 7, 2022
Douglas Luiz: 8/10
Luiz started the game as a number eight and put in a solid display that outlined his importance to the team. He linked up well with Buendia and put in a performance that was overflowing with drive and imagination.
Emiliano Buendia: 9/10
The Argentine was the best player on the pitch and grabbed a goal and an assist early on. Buendia provided a brilliant assist for Ings’s opener before while scoring the second with aplomb. It was easily his finest performance in an Aston Villa jersey.
Emi Buendia first half vs Burnley:
19 Touches
83% Pass Completion
10 Completed Passes
1 Key Pass
1 Accurate Long Ball
1 Big Chance Created
1 Ground Duel Won
1 Foul Drawn
2 Shots
1 Assist
1 Goal3 goal involvements in last 2 games! ??#AVFC #BURAVL
— D4F | Football Scouting & Stats (@database4foot) May 7, 2022
Ollie Watkins: 8/10
The Englishman had the beating of James Tarkowski on the night and was a constant thorn in Burnley’s side. His pace and movement often dragged the Burnley defenders out of position, handing the likes of Ings space to run into. His goal on the day took his Premier League tally for this season to ten strikes.
Danny Ings: 8/10
The English striker took his goal well, handing the visitors an early advantage. It was his seventh goal contribution in seven games, and he looks set to end the campaign on a high. With Gareth Southgate in attendance, there was no better time than now for Ings to strike a rich vein of form.
SUBSTITUTES
Carney Chukwuemeka: 7/10
The youngster replaced Chambers to make his first appearance since February. He did a decent job and also had an effort at goal blocked.
Ashley Young: N/A
The veteran replaced Ings in the second half and formed a good partnership with Digne down the left. But he lacked any standout moments on the day.
Really Good Team Performance, 3 Big Points Away From Home. Thank You Villa Fans Again???? UTV???? pic.twitter.com/RhxExO8tKb
— Ashley Young (@youngy18) May 7, 2022
Philippe Coutinho: N/A
The Brazilian was dropped to the bench for the first time since joining the club and now faces the hard task to dislodge Buendia. With Liverpool next, the Barcelona loanee could be in for a difficult few weeks.
