Aston Villa came back from 1-0 down to beat Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park. Manager Steve Bruce has eleven points from his five matches in charge.
Aston Villa go into the international break on a lovely high note. Saturday’s 2-1 win over lowly Blackburn provided the claret and blue with another vital three points.
The first half proved uninteresting with both sides relying on corner kicks for their initial chances. The second half turned out to be much more fruitful. Blackburn’s Sam Gallagher scored early on, but was later equalized by a Jonathan Kodjia penalty.
Villa got the last laugh as Mile Jedinak played in Kodjia – who finished neatly for the final goal of the evening.
Match highlights below:
Match highlights: Which includes Jonathan Kodjia's brilliant winning goal, for our wonderful club!!! #AVFC https://t.co/hw5nQOhvH0
— The Villa Blogger (@TheVillaBlogger) November 5, 2016
PLAYER GRADES:
GK Pierluigi Gollini 5.5
Some will say he was caught flat footed on Gallagher’s header, but I think that may be a bit harsh. Otherwise had an excellent match.
RB Alan Hutton 5.5
Fairly quiet evening for Hutton. When he’s quiet, he’s not making mistakes, which is good.
RCB James Chester 5.5
Had an uber important block in the first half. Otherwise struggled to contain the height of Sam Gallagher often.
LCB Nathan Baker 5.5
Picked up a knock during the match that hindered his effectiveness. Fought through it to play the entire ninety minutes.
LB Jordan Amavi 6
Picking up confidence after every match. Amavi should be a joy to watch the rest of the season.
CM Mile Jedinak 7.5
Two consecutive monstrous games from Mile Jedinak. Partnering Gary Gardner this time seems to bring the best in him. Interesting though that the same partnership failed earlier in the season.
CM Gary Gardner 6
Controlled the center of the pitch fairly well. Didn’t overly influence the course of play, but took some nice shots from outside the eighteen yard box. Including one that Jason Steele saved nicely.
RW Albert Adomah 7
Great match from Adomah. Forever a nuisance on the right flank.
CAM Ross McCormack 5
Probably should have done better on his golden opportunity to head home. Struggled to get in the match, but the talent is there. Expect more from Ross.
LW Jack Grealish 6.5
Not overly productive during the first half. Brought his “A” game after the break, however, drawing a foul in the box for Kodjia’s penalty.
ST Jonathan Kodjia 7.5 & ClaretVillans Man of the Match
When you score a brace, you most likely will be rewarded as man of the match (sorry, Mile). Kodjia’s second goal was a beautiful finish. Have to note that he came off injured shortly after scoring. It didn’t look too bad, and luckily we are entering the international break.
SUBSTITUTES:
ST Gabby Agbonlahor 6
Came on for the struggling Ross McCormack. His wonderful flick led to Jedinak’s long ball on Jonathan Kodjia’s second goal.
CM Ashley Westwood & CB Tommy Elphick N/A
Both came on too late to warrant ratings. Worthy of looking out for: many Aston Villa players picked up knocks during the match.