Premier League legend Alan Shearer has named Aston Villa star Nicolo Zaniolo in his Team of the Week after matchday 29 of the 2023/24 season.
Despite not being able to pick up three points at the London Stadium, it was a better week than last for Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Villans redeemed themselves from the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham with a dominating 4-0 win over Ajax on Thursday, followed by a hard-fought point against West Ham on Sunday.
Unai Emery’s side will feel fortunate to have walked away from East London with a point after it looked as though Tomas Soucek had won the game for the hosts in the last minute, with his goal chalked out due to VAR intervention.
Despite all their glory last week, Spurs’ victory over Villa was not able to be capitalised on as Ange Postecoglou’s side lost 3-0 to Fulham, seeing the Midlands club extend their lead in fourth place to three points.
Alan Shearer named Nicolo Zaniolo in his Premier League Team of the Week
While the ball hit the back of the net four times in the contest, it was the goals courtesy of Michail Antonio and Nicolo Zaniolo that made the difference in a fixture dominated by VAR.
In the 79th minute, Zaniolo smartly finished a positive passage of play made by Moussa Diaby on the right, earning Villa a point to level the game at 1-1.
As a result of his point-saving goal, Premier League legend Alan Shearer named the £60k-a-week Italian in his Team of the Week for matchday 29, hailing the loanee as “excellent” for his contribution off the bench.
“Excellent impact when he was brought on by Unai Emery, scoring an equaliser that could prove vital for Villa in the top-four race.”
Nicolo Zaniolo was Aston Villa’s saviour against West Ham
Bringing Zaniolo into the game just after the hour mark seemed to change the game for the Villans, who were able to take control in the final third thanks to the quality Emery had on the bench.
In his 27-minute cameo, the 24-year-old not only scored but took the game by the scruff of the neck in the bid to impress the manager.
As per Sofascore, Zaniolo attempted three dribbles, completed one tackle and won three of his ground duels to portray how lively his influence was when introduced as a substitute.
It was the perfect time for the Galatasaray loanee to show his worth with time running out this campaign for him to really impress, netting only his second goal of the Premier League season.
Game time has been difficult to come by for the former Roma whiz, who has only started seven games this term since making the move from Istanbul to Villa Park in the summer.
The goal could prove vital for the Villans on their quest to secure Champions League football, widening the gap between themselves and Spurs by earning a point on Sunday.
