Aston Villa 2-2 Brentford: Kodjia’s brace earns point in wide open affair
By Josh Tonti
Aston Villa stole a point at the death vs. Brentford. Jonathan Kodjia’s brace, on either side of halftime, gave the claret and blues a 2-2 draw.
Brentford’s high-flying attack gave Aston Villa a good early season challenge on which to grow from. The Bees, set-up in a 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 hybrid hit Steve Bruce’s side on the counter. So much so, that Brentford won the xG battle 2.0 to 1.8 on experimental361’s model.
But football is played on the pitch, and Villa showcased their own excellent attacking talent.
Jonathan Kodjia, fresh off scoring vs. Ipswich Town, delivered another two tallies. His solo, slicing run in the first-half was a work of art. He scored the equalizer, too. His looping header from Ahmed Elmohamady deep in extra time earned Villa a well-deserved point.
Nyland made five saves from seven shots-on-target, two of which were excellent saves. Probably should have done a little better on Brentford’s second, but the Norwegian international rebounded after making an error vs. Ipswich. GK. Aston Villa. ORJAN NYLAND. 6.0
RB. Aston Villa. AXEL TUANZEBE. 6.0. A bizarre match from Axel Tuanzebe, by my estimation. He had an outstanding game, save for being responsible on both Brentford goals. Not sure how you grade that.
6.5. Villa’s captain wasn’t at his best, but he did a lot of defending in open space against some counterattacks. Completed 91% of his passes and was booked in the second-half.. RCB. Aston Villa. JAMES CHESTER
4.5. Meh. Jedinak won 11 aerial duels, but committed two poor errors in central defense. 67% passing accuracy as a centre-back is atrocious.. LCB. Aston Villa. MILE JEDINAK
Really, really not at his best. Hutton’s best contribution might have been that he escaped serious injury late on in the match.. LB. Aston Villa. ALAN HUTTON. 4.5
7.0. Glenn Whelan was an ANCHOR in midfield. He tired out late in the second-half as Steve Bruce was too slow in substituting, but Whelan won two tackles, made two interceptions, and cleared another two balls. He was clean in distribution, too, showing a range of passing he’s known for, but has yet to do in the claret and blue.. CDM. Aston Villa. GLENN WHELAN
6.5. Elmohamady linked-up with Tuanzebe on the right with great ease. His crossing was a mixed-bag of ‘pretty good’ and ‘okay’ but he contributed well before sliding to right fullback.. RM. Aston Villa. AHMED ELMOHAMADY
Grealish led Aston Villa with a whopping 90 touches. Still, he seemed a little sloppy at times. Overall, a very good performance from the club’s No. 10.. CM. Aston Villa. JACK GREALISH. 7.0
6.5. McGinn led Villa with 4 key passes, but I’m still waiting to see him truly breakthrough. I think there’s another tier he can reach, even above the ability he’s shown through three league matches.. CM. Aston Villa. JOHN MCGINN
7.0. Albert Adomah rebounded well at against Brentford. The Ghanaian international <strong>assisted </strong>on one goal, recorded four key passes and 92 % passing accuracy. Replaced by Andre Green on the 69th-minute.. LM. Aston Villa. ALBERT ADOMAH
JONATHAN KODJIA. 7.5. Villa’s star forward showed power and explosiveness to his doubters. That’s three in two for the Ivorian. He can score with his right foot, left foot, and head.. CF. Aston Villa