Player Ratings: Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham

Nothing new to see here sadly. Fulham with another wasted chance to take the initiative in the race for Europe. The moment this team is faced with any sort of pressure, they buckle. Three games to go to prove that wrong, but it feels unlikely.

Bernd Leno

Hard to judge Villa’s goal and how Leno should have done with it. Whilst it’s frustrating to see him get such a big hand to Tielemans’ header and not tip it round the woodwork, it’s hardly an expectation of a goalkeeper to save a header from that distance with the power produced by Villa’s Belgian. His kicking was more proactive than usual and nearly created a goalscoring chance for Iwobi, and his second half save from Watkins without doubt kept us in the game. 6.5/10.

Kenny Tete

Linked well with Sess down the right hand side in the first half, with Fulham’s best chances coming from attacks started from Tete’s balls down the line. The quality of the man is shown most when he gets subbed off and the quality in his position drops. Defended very well against the attacking overlapping threat of Ian Maatsen especially. 6.5/10.

Joachim Andersen

It’s so frustrating seeing a player not utilising a key part of their game, and Andersen’s well praised passing game is just not on show often enough at the moment. The number of  attempted cross-field passes to Fulham’s left that found Matt Cash was beyond frustrating. Then even into added time as Fulham desperately searched for an equaliser, Andersen was more interested in a short pass to Bassey than causing Villa’s centre backs an issue by getting the ball even remotely close to their box. 5/10.

Calvin Bassey

After a shaky start on and off the ball, Bassey was definitely the better of the defensive pairing. Could have been a bit more disciplined at times but he got away with just one yellow and showed great desire to make a difference from the back. Even in the closing stages, despite being on a yellow card and having gone down twice in pain, he was making overlapping runs beyond our forward line to try and create something. 6/10.

Antonee Robinson

Not sure if Jedi was fully fit or not, or simply just having an off day, but he really struggled at Villa Park. The superb Morgan Rogers gave him an absolutely torrid time, beating him in duels over and over again. Robinson’s crossing was also very poor in the final third, creating far less than we did from the other side of the pitch. 4.5/10.

Sander Berge

Yeah I’m just bored of saying the same things now. Youri Tielemans showed today that a player in a double pivot can still influence the attacking third with the ball. Berge is so press-resistant and very cute on the ball, but nothing changes in regards to his unwillingness to progress the ball when we need our midfield to do it most. Risk-taking just isn’t part of his game, but when you’re chasing important points, it has to be at this level. 5/10.

Sasa Lukic

Grew into the game as it went on and by the time we entered stoppage time with just ten men, Lukic held things together quite well as both teams put everything into achieving a desirable result. Tidy on the ball, strong in the tackle, but also showing a willingness to take on a couple of attempts at goal, which as previously mentioned in Berge’s write-up, we need more of from midfield in general. 6/10.

Harry Wilson

Another that got into the game as it went on and by the time he was subbed off, seemed to really be finding his stride on the right hand side. Felt he should have probably defended better against Tielemans for the goal we conceded, If I’m honest. But at the other end, it’s just refreshing to know that we have someone who never stops trying to go at goal, whilst some others slow things down and go sideways. 6.5/10.

Ryan Sessegnon

Absolutely dumbfounded that Sess was taken off when he was considering he was our biggest goalscoring threat throughout, and had the ball not ricocheted off of his hand, he would have had a very neatly taken equaliser to his name. Really important recently in our transitional game with the way he so frequently wins the ball near the halfway line and proceeds to push the team forward. Put some really dangerous crosses in too after linking well with Tete throughout. 7/10.

Alex Iwobi

So incredibly ineffective. Thought that whilst Wilson and Sess tried to show initiative and speed up a slow Fulham side attacking wise, Iwobi continued to do the opposite, whilst offering very little support to a struggling Robinson at the other end of the pitch. Looked weak in duels and in the press too. Looks in need of a summer break, because he already seems to be on the beach. 4.5/10.

Raul Jimenez

Cannot fault the Mexican’s effort in the slightest. Even when he was clearly out on his feet towards the end of the game, Raul pressed Villa high and tried pushing through their defence whilst others in white limped forward aimlessly. I was a bit frustrated at his inability to pick up second balls at times, but that’s about the only criticism I have. Just wish he had been afforded a really decent opportunity in the box, because with the intensity and focus he played with, I’m confident he would have taken one. 7/10 – Man of the match.

Substitutes

Emile Smith Rowe (57’ for Sessegnon)

For the most part, another alarmingly poor performance in which most of the people around me in the away end at Villa Park uttered the words ‘bloody hell I forgot Smith Rowe was even on the pitch’. The one bit of credit I’ll give him is that he actually did quite well going deeper when Reed got injured, maybe a potential avenue for the future considering the lack of creativity from deep we have in midfield? 5/10.

Adama Traore (67’ for Wilson)

A typical Adama cameo for me. I try to defend the man because I see the intent and effort in his play, but ultimately we’re left frustrated by poor decision making on the ball which could have cost us potential opportunities to create in the final third when we needed it most. 5/10.

Timothy Castagne (67’ for Tete)

A real alarming drop of quality in the right back position. After missing a header that nearly allowed Villa a second goal straight after coming on, Castagne just didn’t get up to the speed of the game, didn’t link up well with his winger and offered very little at either end of the pitch. 4.5/10.

Harrison Reed (75’ for Berge)

Just gutted for H, pray that isn’t the last time we see him in black and white. N/A.

Willian (75’ for Iwobi)

Don’t really have reason to critique him like some other substitutes. Could see what the Brazilian was trying to do and how he was attempting to make a difference, but he just doesn’t seem to have the speed of thought to execute it anymore. These have to be his last few weeks in black and white I think, otherwise we’ll seriously be going backwards. 6/10.

Manager

Marco Silva

Why does the man not learn his lessons? Why are the same issues regarding poor patterns of attacking play, mentality and weird substitutes not being sorted? Fulham did the same thing in the final third over and over to no avail for most of the game until it got frenetic with ten men late on. Sessegnon and Wilson were arguably our two biggest goal threats as we grew into the game after half time, so the boss decided yeah let’s sub them off. Not just that, but to be left with ten men due to an injury and no subs left to fix it for the second time this season is unthinkable. It was another big opportunity wasted by a team who’s mentality in games where the pressure is on is appallingly bad and that surely must come down in some regard to the manager who is in charge of them. What can they be doing at Motspur Park on a weekly basis to be doing the same things over and over with no change for the better? We’re still in the battle for Europe and yet I still hold an opinion I’ve held since the new year, this team will miss out on that opportunity because they and their manager refuse to learn from their mistakes and grow a backbone. Insanely frustrating against a  Villa team that, while they possess quality greater than ours, were there for the taking today, and probably would have dropped points to the likes of Brentford and Bournemouth. 2/10.