Brilliant strikes from Emiliano Buendia and Amadou Onana put us in control at half-time, and although it was a controlled yet aggressive performance that ensured we controlled large periods, there was a spell in the second half where we came under significant pressure.
Fortunately, Emiliano Martinez was up to the challenge as he produced a stunning save to protect our lead before saving from the penalty spot to make a decisive impact, as Villa then regrouped and went on to kill the game off.
Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen added our third and fourth respectively to make it safe, and it’s a win that moves Villa up to seventh in the Premier League table at the time of writing going into the international break.
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### Aston Villa player ratings vs Bournemouth:
**Emiliano Martinez, 9 –** Decisive impact on the game, made a couple of brilliant saves to preserve our lead and then stepped up to deny Semenyo from the penalty spot in a critical moment in the encounter.
**Matty Cash, 8 –** Put in another top defensive shift to keep things tight on that side as he’s showing real consistency in that phase of his game now. Gave us energy and width going forward at times too.
**Ezri Konsa, 7 –** Comfortable for the most part, wasn’t truly tested even though Bournemouth did threaten on the counter at times. Showed good awareness and positioning, albeit he was a bit sloppy in possession.
**Pau Torres, 7 –** Did well in keeping things tight at the back against Evanilson as we were organised and disciplined, while he showed composure in possession when needed too.
**Lucas Digne, 7.5 –** Great delivery on his corner to provide the assist for Barkley’s goal, while he was solid in his defensive work.
**Amadou Onana, 8 –** Got caught out in the early stages as Bournemouth almost broke the deadlock, but grew into the game from that point and capped it off with a wonderful strike from distance to double our lead. Commanding and physical presence in the midfield battle.
**Boubacar Kamara, 7.5 –** Not as influential as we know he can be, but nonetheless it was an important effort from the Frenchman in shielding the backline and giving us control and composure in possession when playing it up the pitch.
**John McGinn, 7.5 –** Committed display from the Villa skipper as he covered plenty of ground to help us impose ourselves effectively and control large periods of the game.
**Morgan Rogers, 7** – Showed glimpses of his quality in the attacking third with a good touch while he almost scored a sensational solo goal in the second half. Not quite as sharp as he needed to be in certain moments but didn’t need to be in the end.
**Emiliano Buendia, 8 –** Wonderful strike from the free-kick that put us ahead as his decisive streak continues. Showed quality in possession to keep our moves flowing, while his work-rate was superb as well as he tracked back and worked hard defensively.
**Ollie Watkins, 7 –** That all-important goal is still eluding him and it would be such a boost if he can end his drought. However, he continues to play an important role with his hold-up play and the way in which he leads the line, so hopefully that goal will come soon to cap off his overall contribution.
### Substitutes:
**Jadon Sancho, 6 –** Did well in the latter stages to keep our attacking play flowing to create more openings.
**Ross Barkley, 7.5 –** Great to see him get on the scoresheet as he continues to re-emerge as a key option for Emery. Added more control to our play after coming on.
**Youri Tielemans, 7 –** Another positive cameo appearance as he adds quality to our play in deeper areas. Will be a major boost to get him back fully fit and at his best.
**Lamare Bogarde, N/A**
**Donyell Malen, N/A**
**Evann Guessand, N/A**