Aston Villa narrowly extended the gap between themselves and Tottenham in the race for top four, as the Villans drew 1-1 with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa were forced to settle for a point at the London Stadium as goals from Michail Antonio and Nicolo Zaniolo decided the splitting of the points.
It was a game that epitomised the fatigue that comes with a Thursday and Sunday playing schedule, as both sides battled in Europe earlier in the week and fell victim to some sluggish play on Sunday.
While Villa dominated possession by claiming 70% of the ball on the day, it was the Hammers that deservedly struck first as Antonio opened the scoring in the 29th minute.
The visitors responded through Zaniolo with ten minutes to play, with the game hitting peak drama in the final seconds as Tomas Soucek saw his winning goal cancelled out by VAR.
Despite the game providing the entertainment factor, it was an overall disappointing day for Unai Emery’s side with some names standing out more than others when it came to individual performance.
Ezri Konsa was impressive against West Ham
One player who stood out alongside his colleagues was Ezri Konsa, who was one of Villa’s more impressive defenders on the day against West Ham.
While the Englishman looked puzzled at times in the first half at right-back, he remained strongly poised throughout the contest, as reflected through his numbers.
As per Sofascore, Konsa won 100% of both his ground and aerial duels, made 89 touches, four clearances and maintained an impressive 97% pass completion rate.
It was good for Villa to see the versatile defender back at his best after missing the majority of last month to injury; however, his display would have given Emery something to think about ahead of the next game.
Ezri Konsa showed Emery what his best position is against West Ham
Despite his impressive defensive display, Konsa was criticised for his frailties in the first half, with journalist Jacob Tanswell admitting that the England international looked “uncomfortable”.
After the interval, Emery welcomed Matty Cash to the fold at right-back and pushed Konsa into central defence, a switch that showcased the best set-up for Villa’s back four.
While Cash thrived on the flank, Konsa was instrumental in the middle alongside Pau Torres, providing the manager with an insight into what may work best for his squad in the future.
Only time will tell if the boss opts to return the Englishman to his favoured position however, Sunday’s display was evidence of where the 26-year-old best operates.
