Positives in Aston Villa’s loss to Man City
Despite losing 2-1 to champions Manchester City at Villa Park on Wednesday, manager Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa can take several positives away from a challenging outing.
Thoroughly under siege through the opening 20 minutes, Gerrard’s side absorbed City’s pressure, and, despite heading into halftime down 2-0, looked threatening in the second half.
Ollie Watkins scored two minutes after the break and changed the landscape of the match. Villa increased their share of possession and nearly went level in the 75th minute when Carney Chukwuemeka broke free in the City box.
Both of City’s goals were worldies off the feet of Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, and there was little Villa could have done to prevent either.
Overall, Villa handled City well. Here are a few of the positives to take from the match.
City held to lowest xG of the season
Save for a handful of blemishes, Villa defended well and held City to an expected goals (xG) rating of 0.9, their lowest of the season. It marked only the second time in 93 Premier League matches under Pep Guardiola that City did not cross the 1.0 xG threshold.
City dominated possession but struggled to break down the Villa block and generate quality scoring chances. Gerrard’s intention to make Villa a more defensively formidable side is already paying dividends.
Matt Targett struggled on the left side of defense and withdrew in the second half due to injury, but the other three defenders had strong showings. Marvelous Nakamba provided cover in front of the backline, and Douglas Luiz and John McGinn were often forced to defend from deep areas.
Douglas Luiz shines in a more advanced role
The most impressive Villan on the day was Luiz, who assisted on Watkins’ 47th-minute goal.
Among the 14 top-flight sides outside of the so-called “Big 6,” Luiz led all players last week in chances created with five.
Additionally, Luiz, according to @pgr_anayltics on Twitter, had match-best totals for key passes (5), shot-creating actions (6), pressures (30), and progressive carries (3).
It was a thorough and complete performance for the former City academy product, who may have played his best game yet in claret and blue.
Morgan Sanson impressive in sub cameo
Morgan Sanson finally made his season debut on Wednesday and made the most of his 13 minutes of action.
The Frenchman found time on the ball, did well to progress play, and was credited with four progressive carries. For comparison, McGinn, Watkins, and Emi Buendia had four progressive carries each and played considerably more.
Sanson was also credited with two won duels, one tackle, and one drawn foul, further cementing his strong showing in such a short space of time.
If Sanson can find the form he showed at Marseille, Gerrard will have five or six solid options in central midfield, with Jacob Ramsey and Chukwuemeka also vying for playing time.