Aston Villa secured their first win in five games against Brighton, with Steven Gerrard’s side even keeping a clean sheet at Villa Park on Saturday.
Gerrard led out his men for the first time and didn’t let himself or the fans down with an attacking display from his team that broke down a well-drilled Brighton.
Despite having significantly less possession in the game overall, the Villa side took advantage where it mattered most, in the final third, with Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins both getting on the score sheet in the last ten minutes of the game, securing an important three points.
Although the attacking threat and defensive play was spot on against Brighton when it mattered, there was one player that put in a less than satisfactory performance for Aston Villa.
Emi Buendia is new this season to Villa Park and has previously opened up on his struggles in his first few games for the side so far, and unfortunately, the £75k-per-week winger continued to show a shaky performance against Brighton.
The Argentine had zero shots and lost five of his duels (62.5%) in the game, which could have caused nightmares for Aston Villa if the likes of Ollie Watkins, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett weren’t on their ‘A’ game.
Buendia showed moments of build-up play that looked promising against the Seagulls, including a ball into Danny Ings that could’ve gifted a goal sooner to the side, but his heavy touch cost him the opportunity to create big chances in the game.
However, he did lose possession on 11 occasions and also failed to manage any dribbles, an attribute that’s usually synonymous with his style of play.
The recent performances from Buendia aren’t an immediate concern for the Villa boss, if anybody can give the coaching and words of wisdom on attacking and pressing better in the team, it’s Gerrard.
It’s clear the youngster is keen to impress and become a dominant presence in the team, he recently spoke to talkSPORT about his intentions in the team.
The 24-year-old said; “The only pressure I put on myself only I know what that means and it’s just to be the best player I can be to help the team and obviously to be successful in this league and for this club.”
Aston Villa will be hoping to continue this winning form as they attempt to move further away from a relegation battle, with the opportunity stay in the Premier League next season.
In other news: Matt Targett was Gerrard’s hero against Brighton
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