Aston Villa continued their incredible home run of results against Manchester City with a tight but impressive 1-0 win at Villa Park this weekend.
That’s now four home meetings with Man City where Aston Villa have avoided defeat, including one draw and three consecutive wins.
A first-half goal from Matty Cash after a sublime set-piece proved the difference between the two sides on Sunday afternoon. Indeed, try as they might, Pep Guardiola’s team just could not find a breakthrough against a well-oiled, compact Villa side.
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Unai Emery got his tactics spot on, especially in the middle of the park, and it’s there that Amadou Onana played a starring role to keep City at bay.
Amadou Onana during Aston Villa FC v FC Bayern München - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Amadou Onana was outstanding versus Man City
Guardiola had highlighted Emi Martinez as the man who could frustrate his team, and while the Villa keeper will be delighted with his clean sheet, the battle was lost in midfield for City.
Onana was absolutely outstanding, particularly in nullifying the threat of Erling Haaland in deeper areas. As is often the case, the Belgian midfielder was able to break up play and turn defence into attack time and time again for the home side.
Defensively speaking, Onana won both of the tackles he made on the day, as well as registering one interception, three clearances, three blocked shots, and won all five of his ground duels, as well as winning one aerial duel, too.
Statistics Amadou Onana vs Man City
Touches 54
Pass success 98%
Successful long balls 4
Tackle success 100%
Interceptions 1
Clearances 3
Blocked shots 3
Ground duel success 100%
Stats via SofaScore
He was not dribbled past once throughout the game, either. And, Onana also racked up some incredible passing statistics: 41 out of 42 passes completed, including 100% of his long balls being accurate, and 18 passes completed in the opposition half.
All in all, Onana was arguably the best, most effective player on the pitch. He did the dirty work, put in the hard yards, stuck to the task, and was absolutely crucial to Emery’s game plan.
Unai Emery roars with delight after Aston Villa beat Burnley in the Premier League
Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
Could Amadou Onana be a transfer target for a Big Six club?
When Onana joined Aston Villa, there were a few clubs also interested in securing his services. Now, there are no doubt even more clubs keeping tabs on the Belgian.
We suggested just last week that Man Utd may be keen on Onana as an alternative to Adam Wharton. Indeed, while Villa are a big club in their own right, it does feel like Onana is the kind of player who could be on an upward trajectory to even bigger things down the line.
It’s unlikely he will be moving on any time soon, but if a strong offer arrives in the summer, who knows?
At just 24 years of age, Onana is still young enough to get even better and he may well outgrow Villa eventually. Whether it’s in the Premier League or with a move abroad, we would not be surprised to see the Belgian enforcer moving elsewhere eventually.