Villa still 4th to be reckoned with after comeback
NICOLO Zaniolo salvaged a point for Villa in a 1-1 draw against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Despite controlling 70% of the possession, Villa did not threaten enough to claim all three points – but it certainly felt like one gained come the 103rd minute.
The hosts thought they had restored their advantage in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time when the ball was bundled over the line, but referee Jarred Gillett eventually chalked the goal off after the VAR advised him to check the pitchside monitor following a lengthy review.
Tomas Soucek clearly handled the ball before it went over the line, so why it took more than five minutes to rule the goal out is anyone’s guess. What we do know is that Villa will not give up their place in the top four without a fight with nine games remaining. Here are the talking points.
Wolves preparation begins
Head coach Unai Emery was content with a draw because even though Villa didn’t play particularly well and failed to take the opportunity to move five points clear of Tottenham, his players showed the grit and determination required to complete the job come the end of May.
“Yes, I am happy because the first half they (West Ham) deserved more,” he said. “They didn’t take control of the game imposing a lot, but they scored one goal.
“We didn’t create and we didn’t get good options in the attack to make chances. The second half was completely different because we dominated better and we got our players behind their midfielders better than in the first half.
“In the second we got corners too and created chances. We didn’t score from the many chances we created, but when we equalised, we tried to go again. In the end, I think this draw, it.”
Emery added: “We are fourth, we are going to wait until the day 32, 33, 34 and when we have those matches we might set again our objective. Right now, we are there and we are happy. We have to be consistent in our way.
“We now have a break and we have more players going to their national teams, which is good because we are increasing the level of the players and we are happy for them.
“Other players and coaches will rest a bit and then we have a new challenge at home against Wolverhampton in two weeks. I am going to prepare, starting from today, thinking in this match.”
Duran needs to be patient
Emery sprung a few surprises, including the decision to hand Jhon
Duran his first Premier League start. The 20-year-old impressed against Ajax in midweek after replacing Ollie Watkins in the first half of the 4-0 victory.
He has all the qualities needed to become a top centre-forward and if he can knuckle down and focus on his football, there is no reason why he can’t develop into exactly that. But he will also have to be patient for opportunities because, after Villa’s first-half display, Emery will be in no rush to name two strikers in his line-up again any time soon.
Watkins didn’t combine well with Duran in the final third, although that’s hardly surprising considering this was the first time they had started a game together.
Duran held the ball up well at certain points, but was anonymous for most of the first period, as was Watkins and Leon Bailey.
Cash’s excellent week
Villa very nearly lost the game chasing a winner and, if it hadn’t been for Matty Cash, they probably would have.
It was an excellent week for Cash, who made a crucial clearance off the line to deny Brian Brobbey before half-time in Villa’s 4-0 victory in the Europa Conference League against Ajax last Thursday, before making an heroic block on Sunday to preserve a point.
James Ward-Prowse was nailed on to win the game for the Hammers late on, but Cash flung himself at the goal-bound effort. It was tremendous defending. He remains a key member of Emery’s squad.
Emery’s super subs
Bailey was more effective in the second half as he and Moussa Diaby struck up some good chemistry on the right. The introduction of Cash also helped.
After Clement Lenglet and Duran were pulled at half-time, Diaby and Cash helped Villa sustain attacks as they played in a more familiar structure.
It allowed fellow substitute Zaniolo to make a telling impact in the 79th minute. Only Liverpool (22), Arsenal (18) and Newcastle (18) have had more goal involvements from substitutes in the Premier League this season than Villa (17 – eight goals, nine assists).
Zaniolo silences critics
His loan from Galatasaray hasn’t gone how he would have liked and his goal celebration was telling.
He appeared to shush the travelling Villa fans, presumably to silence his critics, of which there have been no shortage. Zaniolo is a talented footballer with bags of ability, but Villa haven’t seen enough consistency from the Italian international.