John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as Unai Emery's side lose to relegation-bound Wolves in the Premier League
Joao Gomes scored Wolves' first goal against Aston Villa
Joao Gomes scored Wolves' first goal against Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
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Aston Villa suffered one of their worst results under Unai Emery as they were beaten 2-0 by bottom club Wolves at Molineux.
Joao Gomes broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark, before Rodrigo Gomes doubled the lead late on after Villa's Amadou Onana saw his effort cleared off the line.
Having become only the second team to lose to Wolves in the league, Villa have now won just one of their last six matches in all competitions.
Villa started the stronger side. The first big chance fell to Ollie Watkins, searching for his second goal in 10 matches. Morgan Rogers picked up a loose ball in midfield and played Watkins through in the sixth minute, but rather than shooting with his weaker left foot as the ball rolled across his body, he attempted a poke with his right, which was easily saved by Jose Sa.
Pau Torres then had Villa’s next opportunity, running onto Douglas Luiz’s in-swinging corner, only to see his effort blocked. Emi Buendia followed with a first-time attempt from the next set-piece, but Wolves scrambled the ball clear once more.
Luiz came close to opening the scoring after 15 minutes, connecting with a perfect Matty Cash cross, but Sa produced a smart save to keep the scores level on the slick pitch. Luiz’s final contribution before being replaced by Ross Barkley on the hour mark was a corner flick-on to Amadou Onana, whose header flew over the bar. Leon Bailey also replaced Jadon Sancho during the hour.
Moments later, Villa fell behind. Adam Armstrong laid off Tchatchoua’s cross for Gomes, whose shot struck the underside of the bar and bounced in.
Tammy Abraham finally entered the match in the 70th minute, coming on for Buendia, having scored in his previous two matches against Leeds and Newcastle.
Ian Maatsen, fresh from coming into the game, struck from inside the box, but couldn't beat Sa as the clock ticked down.
Onana was denied a last minute equaliser as Wolves cleared the ball off the line, before the hosts went down the other end and made it 2-0.
Defeat means that Villa's buffer inside the top five could be cut to just three points should results go against them this weekend.
They host Chelsea at Villa Park on Wednesday night, which is a hugely important match for both Champions League-chasing clubs.
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Player ratings
Emi Martinez Martinez had very little to do in the first half, apart from racing off his line to clear balls played in behind the Villa backline. Wasn’t getting near Gomes’ strike. Beaten again late on. 4
Matty Cash Cash picked out Luiz inside the box in the 17th minute, but the Brazilian’s volley was saved by Sa. Won seven ground duels, making five tackles. 4
Ezri Konsa Konsa wasn’t tight enough to Armstrong and didn’t get out quickly enough to block Gomes’ strike, which beat Martinez. Only misplaced one pass. 3
Pau Torres Torres returned to the starting side after being left on the bench for the last three league matches against Bournemouth, Brighton, and Leeds. He met Luiz’s first corner of the game but saw his header blocked. 4
Lucas Digne Digne also returned to the starting XI tonight, in place of Ian Maatsen. Taken off with 20 minutes plus added time to play. 4
Amadou Onana Headed the ball over the bar not long before Wolves took the lead. Wolves have been bullied in midfield this season, but not tonight. 4
Douglas Luiz Luiz has started all of Villa’s league matches since his return in January. He came closest to opening the scoring, striking a volley inside the box, but was denied by Sa. 4
Jadon Sancho Sancho was recalled to the starting XI tonight. He took the ball into promising positions and combined well with teammates but didn’t produce a moment to trouble the Wolves defence. 4
Morgan Rogers Rogers created Villa’s first chance, slipping Watkins through, but the striker didn’t trouble goalkeeper Jose Sa. Frustrations boiled over in the 43rd minute when he pushed Mosquera after thinking he had been fouled. Became sloppy in possession at times, but Villa still looked for him for inspiration. 4
Emi Buendia Buendia won only one of the seven ground duels he contested in the first half while committing four fouls. He was booked for his fifth foul in the 54th minute. 3
Ollie Watkins
Watkins had another opportunity to break his goal drought, having failed to score in his previous nine league matches. He wasted a good chance early on after being played in by Rogers, opting not to strike on his left foot as the ball ran across his body. Struggling badly at the moment. 3
SUBS
Leon Bailey (for Sancho, 60'): Picked up promising positions, but couldn't create the right angles to hurt Wolves. 3
Ross Barkley (for Luiz, 60'): Looked to play forwards when he had the opportunity. 5
Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 70'): The left-back was denied by Sa in the 77th minute. 5
Tammy Abraham (70'): He should have seen more minutes again tonight. 5
Alysson (for Watkins, 85'): N/A
Subs not used: Bizot, Lindelof, Mings, Bogarde.
GOALS
Wolves: J. Gomes (61'), (R. Gomes, 90+7')
Aston Villa: N/A
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