Aston Villa may have slipped to their first defeat of the campaign against Arsenal but one of Unai Emery’s stars could hold his head extremely high.
It was a disappointing evening for Aston Villa, who were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal as two second-half goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey took the game away from the hosts.
In fairness, Villa were unfortunate not to have taken the lead before they were hit with a sucker punch. Ollie Watkins spurned two golden opportunities; first, he fired a shot inside the box wide of the post and then, he saw his diving header from point-blank range saved by David Raya.
For Watkins and Villa, it wasn’t their night but one player who stood out on the pitch was Morgan Rogers. The 22-year-old was head and shoulders above in midfield as he bullied the likes of Partey and Declan Rice with his pace and power.
The way Rogers dominated the Arsenal engine left Villa fans delighted and they weren’t the only ones who waxed lyrical over his display.
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Morgan Rogers hailed as the best player on the pitch v Arsenal
Villa held their own for most of the match against Arsenal and if Watkins converted one of his chances, it could have been a completely different game.
The biggest positive they could take from the match, though, was how incredible Rogers was.
Signed for £15 million from Middlesbrough in January, the powerful attacking midfielder continues to go from strength to strength in claret and blue.
Rogers, unlike a lot of players his size, possesses a unique ability to glide past players with his freakish strength and turn of speed.
He used those attributes to devastating effect against the Gunners and gave their midfield three of Rice, Partey and Martin Odegaard a hard time, with Chris Waddle labelling him as the ‘best player on the park’ as a result.
As per BBC Sport, Waddle said: “Brilliant run from Rogers, he is strong and two footed. He has been the best player on the park today. He is trying to make something happen for this Villa team.”
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How Morgan Rogers can take his game to the next level
Arsenal are one of the best teams in the Premier League and Rogers managed to hold his own against several world-class players.
The youngster rarely shirked responsibility and was always looking to drive forward with the ball and carve open chances for his teammates.
For how threatening he looked and the dominance he had over the Gunners midfield, he was simply a joy to watch however, there is one criticism raised towards Rogers and that is his end product.
He did tee up Watkins for his golden opportunity in the first half but for the midfielder to take his game to new heights, he must start providing goals and assists.
Rogers has three goals in 17 for Aston Villa, which isn’t the best return and that is an area where he can certainly improve.
