Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Viking in the Champions League was driven by two Brazilians on the right side, as Alysson and Joao Gomes carried out two very different but vital roles.
Days after making his first Premier League start against Newcastle on Saturday, Alysson started his first Champions League game on Wednesday night and showed why Unai Emery seems to hold him in high esteem.
The 20-year-old will be disappointed his goal was overturned into a Viking own goal, but he produced a real eye-opening performance for Villa fans who wanted to see what he could do with a full 90 minutes, rather than just 20 minutes off the bench here and there.
Alysson had more touches in the opposition box (ten), successful dribbles (four out of six attempts) and expected assists (0.59) than any other player. He also won the penalty which gave Villa a 2-0 lead.
He also won the most ground duels (six out of ten) and was joint-first in chances created (three). 42% of Villa’s attacks came down the right, and his ability to lead counter-attacks by himself at times was a huge threat in the second half especially.
The potential was clear when Alysson arrived at the club in January, and his profile is certainly reminiscent of Morgan Rogers as a tall, powerful, long-striding forward player. It was obvious what Emery and Villa saw in the Brazilian.
After a stop-start first nine months due to injuries, Alysson is finally starting to make his mark and break into the starting 11.
Behind him was Joao Gomes, a surprising choice to start at right-back on Wednesday night. Considering he can only have worked in this new role for a few days, Gomes performed well, albeit not as a traditional full-back.
He only stayed at right-back when Villa did not have the ball, and since the hosts dominated possession, he was able to push forward into midfield for much of the contest and help dictate play from there.
Gomes went on several mazy runs to get Villa up the pitch and also made an impact on the stat sheet. He had the fourth-most touches of any player (81), completed 91% of his passes, made seven line-breaking passes and won five ground duels.
The game against Viking was not exactly a stiff test, but it was still impressive to see Gomes show the versatility to slot in at a position which he has presumably never played before and not only survive, but provide value to the team.
His ability to fill in at right-back allowed Matty Cash to get a much-needed break, as Villa’s first-choice only played around 25 minutes from the bench.
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka ruled out for at least three weeks with a hamstring injury, Cash will not be getting much rest in the coming weeks, so even if it was a one-off, every little helps.
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