Villa controlled possession and tempo in the first half and missed some key chances to go ahead, but as the game went on, our passive and predictable play opened the door for the hosts to grow into the clash.
That in turn resulted in them opening the scoring through Joao Gomes on the hour mark, while Rodrigo Gomes added a late second to seal the victory.
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While it’s easy to criticise individual performances, Villa are nowhere near it as a collective either, as our slump in form has allowed the chasing pack to close the gap on us in the race for Champions League football, with the pressure building on us to respond and bounce back positively against Chelsea next week.
Villa simply don’t seem to have any answers at the minute, and while we can hope for adjustments to our playing style to help turn things around, there are concerning signs in our performances in recent weeks that are risking our season drifting away from us at a critical point.
### Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
**Emiliano Martinez, 4.5 –** Seemed to dive early for the first goal as Gomes lifted his effort over him, while his distribution wasn’t great throughout. Did produce some saves and showed good positioning to sweep up danger from long balls over the top.
**Matty Cash, 5** – Showed fight and commitment in both phases to battle down the right side, but lacked quality in advanced positions to help us find a breakthrough before fading in the latter stages.
**Ezri Konsa, 5** – Composed and strong defensively and kept possession ticking, albeit he saw too much of the ball as our midfield didn’t dominate enough. Involved in a heated exchange with fans after the full-time whistle as tempers flared, but hopefully nothing overstepped the mark.
**Pau Torres, 5 –** Gives us technical quality and improved passing out from the back and did his job defensively. Needed more influence from him though, but that might come with an extended run in the side.
**Lucas Digne, 4.5 –** Defending for the first goal with his effort to block the cross was embarrassing. Put in a shift at left-back but without ever really showing enough energy or quality to give us width and a threat down the wing.
**Amadou Onana, 4.5 –** Especially in the absence of other key midfielders, we need him to be dominant to dictate games. While he did produce some positive passages of play, he was sloppy in possession and didn’t impose himself effectively enough to help us build sustained pressure. Missed a big late chance to equalise.
**Douglas Luiz, 4.5 –** Still not doing enough to dictate tempo and possession for us. Seems apprehensive in dropping deeper to get on the ball and play or is instructed not to do so which hurts us either way, while he’s largely too slow in playing a pass through the lines or over the top to pick out a teammate further up the pitch.
**Jadon Sancho, 4.5 –** Looks good when he’s positive and drives at defenders, but he seems hesitant to do it too often which is a problem. Need him to step up through the gears and start producing decisive moments in the final third.
**Emiliano Buendia, 4 –** Seemed intent on getting booked without offering much of a threat in front of goal. Showed commitment and desire, but lacked the quality to match it.
**Morgan Rogers, 4.5 –** Increasingly becoming marked and fouled out of games. Struggling as teams close the gaps and pack central areas to nullify him, Emery has to tweak his role and allow him to roam out wide on the left where he looks more dangerous.
**Ollie Watkins, 4 –** Wasted a big chance early on as he never looked confident after being played in, and whether it’s injury or confidence related, he continues to look a shadow of his former self.
### Substitutions:
**Ross Barkley, 4 –** Really poor in the build-up to the first goal as he lost a duel and failed to track his man. Did add rhythm and forward passing to our play thereafter though.
**Leon Bailey, 4 –** Gets into good positions, but he simply can’t beat his man at the minute. Needs to get the ball out of his feet quicker until he rediscovers that edge in possession.
**Tammy Abraham, 5 –** Added presence and a fresh threat in the latter stages but couldn’t make the desired impact.
**Ian Maatsen, 5.5 –** Showed energy and intent after being introduced, while he almost got on the scoresheet as he added a threat down the left flank.
**Alysson, N/A –** Positive effort as he tried to make things happen late on and was brave enough to try to create openings.