Jacob Ramsey stole the show as Aston Villa defeated Norwich City, 2-0, in workman-like fashion at Carrow Road on Tuesday evening.
The 20-year-old has impressed all season long, but Tuesday felt a lot like his coming-out party. In addition to scoring a beautiful goal in the 34th minute, he put in a solid shift, winning both duels and fouls in the middle of the park.
Ollie Watkins capped off the victory with an 87th-minute tally assisted by Carney Chukwuemeka, who became the youngest player in AVFC history to record a goal involvement in the Premier League.
Villa rendered Norwich’s attack ineffective, limiting Dean Smith’s side to an expected goals rating of 0.62.
The win is Villa’s fourth in six matches with Steven Gerrard at the helm. Smith and Norwich have dropped their last three top-flight matches.
Youth served for Villa
A Man of the Match performance for Ramsey was the highlight of this win for Aston Villa. After an emotional summer in which academy product Jack Grealish left for Manchester City, supporters promptly looked for the next graduate to shine.
Many were down on Ramsey after a tame rookie campaign in 2020-21. Sure, he was young, but a lot of the excitement surrounding the local lad seemed disproportionate in comparison with on-field performances.
But essentially from the word “go,” Ramsey has impressed this season under both Gerrard and Smith. He was often the link between a pinned-back defense and a starving front two or three. Since Gerrard took over, he looks even more impressive, accepting the ball in more advanced positions.
His strike on Tuesday was sensational, and the local star-in-the-making had this to say about his recent goal contributions:
"“I saw Ollie knock it off, there was no-one there so I thought why not? I’ve been watching clips of the gaffer and he was one of the best goalscoring midfielders and that’s what I want to be.”"
Additionally, we saw Chukwuemeka appear on the scoresheet with an assist on Watkins’ late marker. In a late cameo, the 18-year-old proved a threat on the left side and played a sublime ball into the box for the Villa center forward.
There’s been some uncertainty surrounding the young man’s future at the club, but he’s clearly in Gerrard’s plans for the present. The gaffer has shown thus far that he fancies a 4-3-2-1 setup, which allows for more central attacking midfielders to get into matches.
For he and Ramsey, working under Gerrard, one of the best midfielders of his generation, is a dream come true. The future is bright for these two.
Villa’s bounce-back ability
There’s no question that Villa look a reinvigorated side under Gerrard; they’re stronger in possession, have defended much better, and have exhibited a greater overall cohesion over the past month.
But something that has flown under the radar is the side’s ability to bounce back from the two losses they’ve suffered since Gerrard’s introduction.
Villa were flying high after wins over Brighton and Crystal Palace, but league-leaders Manchester City quashed any hope of a three-match winning streak on December 1.
Next was a tough test at home against Leicester, from which Gerrard’s side took all three points in a 1-0 victory. A very positive result following a loss against a tricky side.
Next from there: Liverpool, second in the standings. Villa defended well, but ultimately were on the wrong side of a handful of poor referee decisions and took a 1-0 loss.
Were Gerrard’s men discouraged? Apparently not. A tough and emotional trip to Norwich yielded a clinical and focused 2-0 win.
This trend speaks to a winning mentality fostered under Gerrard’s leadership. Not only are we seeing Villa impose themselves no matter the opposition, but we’re seeing a side willing and able to respond to tough losses.