Aston Villa’s player ratings will run hot and cold following the club’s insane 5-5 draw with Nottingham Forest. It was a disappointing result in the end, but Dean Smith’s men have a lot to be proud of.
A home draw after blowing a lead – twice – while playing up a man is almost always inexcusable.
But this one felt different. It felt almost fluky and that the entirety of Villa Park was caught in a trance of strange football. It was bad, then it was fun, then it was hilarious, then there was heartbreak.
It had everything, truly anything a football match could summon.
There was free-flowing football, tremendously well-taken goals, some hard challenges, a sending-off, a penalty kick, impact substitutes, and referee controversy. It ended 5-5 with Aston Villa forward Tammy Abraham ending on four goals, including a first-half hat-trick. For the visitors, midfielder Joe Lolley scored once and assisted a further three times.
I don’t think I’ll see another game like that in quite some time, but I’ll do my best to decipher each Villa player’s performance.