Matt Maher's Aston Villa ratings v Middlesbrough: Sixes and sevens as Villa progress
Matt Maher rates the Aston Villa players after their FA Cup win at Middlesbrough.
Emi Martinez 7
Had just one save to make in the match but Villa needed him to be assured with his handling in the second half as the hosts pushed.
Matty Cash 7
Did his defensive duties well and though his final ball wasn’t always the best, he was the man who found the winner with some help.
Ezri Konsa 7
The player who played more minutes than any other in 2023 began the new year with a typically-assured performance.
Clement Lenglet 6
Solid on the ball and pushed forward so far at times he was almost a second left-back. Lack of pace a concern.
Alex Moreno 6
Got into some great positions but the final ball too often let him down. Missed a glorious chance to open the scoring.
Leon Bailey 6
Looked dangerous when he got on the ball in space but it didn’t happen enough. Needed more support from his team-mates.
Leander Dendoncker 6
Didn’t play badly by any means, but the fair question was whether he should have been playing in this kind of game at all.
Boubacar Kamara 8
Showed what Villa had been missing during his absence with a busy performance, regularly mopping up in front of the back four.
Jacob Ramsey 6
Continues to show signs of getting back to his best form. Carried the ball well at times, but the final ball is still lacking.
John McGinn 6
Denied a goal by a fine Glover save. Buzzed around, but you never really felt he quite had a grip on the game. Subbed in the second half.
Jhon Duran 6
Forced Glover into two first-half saves, but struggled to make much of an impression at other times. Another start in which he failed to fully convince.
Substitutes
Douglas Luiz 6 (for Dendoncker, 69), Moussa Diaby 6 (for Bailey, 69), Nicolo Zaniolo 6 (for McGinn, 69), Ollie Watkins 6 (for Duran, 69) Subs not used: Carlos, Iroegbunam, Proctor (gk), Marschall (gk).
