Aston Villa 0-0 Reading: Player Ratings from the Madejski

Aston Villa continued a three-match unbeaten run with a scoreless draw away to Reading.

Normally five points from three matches would be generally seen as a positive. And while, in the aggregate, it is, we can’t help but feel disappointed in Aston Villa. Four points from clubs placed in 24th and 22nd probably is not enough for a team that feels like it should be in the play-off places. But, there is still time to make-up ground!

Dean Smith called upon an unchanged formation that included several new names. Most notably, Tyrone Mings entered the starting XI at the left centre-back position for captain James Chester. Chester missed out on the squad entirely, which shows just how injured he’d been in recent months. Hopefully, 2-4 weeks off will bring him back to full speed. New signing Tom Carroll began the game on the bench, eventually making his Villa debut in the second-half.

First-Half:

Villa started brightly, controlling possession in the Reading half. Tammy Abraham created the first opportunity inside two minutes when he fired straight at Reading goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Soon after Anwar El Ghazi dribbled around two defenders and fired into the bottom corner, but Martinez was able to get an outstretched hand to it. The rebound fell to Abraham, but his diving header went just wide. The pressure continued for 25 minutes until Reading recovered and took control of the half.

Lovre Kalinic made three excellent stops to ensure a scoreless half at the break.

Second-Half:

Yellow cards galore: John Swift, Nelson Oliveira, Andy Yiadom, Glenn Whelan, and Anwar El Ghazi all went into the referee’s book inside the first 15 minutes or so. They were later joined by Conor Hourihane and debutante Tom Carroll as well. Both sides had a series of half chances, but neither came too close to scoring. In all, a boring 0-0 draw.