Watch: Philippe Coutinho stars in Aston Villa’s 4-0 rout of Southampton

Philippe Coutinho put on a clinic in Aston Villa’s comprehensive 4-0 victory over Southampton at Villa Park on Saturday.

The Brazilian, on loan from Barcelona,  assisted on Douglas Luiz’s tap-in goal in the 44th minute to give Villa a 2-0 advantage on the stroke of halftime.

Coutinho went on to extend Villa’s lead to three goals in the 52nd minute, when he evaded a handful of defenders in the Southampton box and beat Fraser Forster from close range.

Villa boasted an expected goals (xG) rating of 2.9 against Southampton and Coutinho very well could have had a second goal in the match. He recorded the most touches in the opposition box of any player, the most shots (4), and the most big-chances created (2).

He’s been a sensation since joining in January and has three goals and three assists in four appearances at Villa Park.

Ollie Watkins said of Coutinho: “He’s too sharp – he thinks quicker than anyone else. I can’t speak highly enough about him to be honest. It’s a joy to play with him, and [Danny Ings], and hopefully we can do this more often to teams.”

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