Aston Villa won their first third-round FA Cup clash since 2016 against Middlesbrough in a 1-0 win. Boubacar Kamara made his return from suspension and showed his class.
This weekend Aston Villa travelled to face Middlesbrough as they looked to progress in the FA Cup for the first time in eight years.
Last year, under Unai Emery, the Villans lost to Stevenage but this time out they were finally able to secure a win.
Overall, Villa dominated the game as they racked up more xG and possession than the hosts on the night. With 0.71 xG and 61% of the ball across the 90 minutes, the Villans struggled to get in front despite this.
The away side eventually took the lead as a Matty Cash strike took a wicked deflection and spun into the bottom corner.
This was enough to secure a place in the hat for the fourth round of the competition and saw widespread relief in The Riverside. There was one man who stood out amongst the rest for his performance on his return to the starting XI.
Boubacar Kamara showed his class vs Boro
Following a suspension against Brentford, Boubacar Kamara has been sorely missed by Emery and Villa in recent weeks. In his absence only one win from three games was taken, including the disappointing collapse vs Manchester United.
The FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough posed a chance for the £150k-a-week man to return to the side and get back to match sharpness.
It is safe to say that he looked like he had never been missing as he slotted into the base of midfield with typical ease.
He featured in the full 90 and John Townley was clearly in admiration of his performance as he took to Twitter to discuss.
On that, he said: “Boubacar Kamara won the most tackles, fouls and duels in #AVFC’s win over Middlesbrough.
“44/51 passes completed, 12 duels won, 10 passes into final third, 6 tackles won, 6 recoveries, 2 chances created.”
There was plenty of positivity to take from his returning performance which saw him control the midfield alongside Leander Dendoncker. His ability to take on a man and win a duel was able to shut down any attacks from the home side before they began.
Villa looked like a much stronger outfit with Kamara back in the centre of midfield. With Everton and Newcastle United coming up in the Premier League, his return is more than welcome.
