Ollie Watkins received high praise but Aston Villa captain John McGinn was the unsung hero of Unai Emery’s win over Fulham on Saturday.
Aston Villa recorded a much-needed win against Fulham on Saturday, as Unai Emery saw his side creep back into the top four after overcoming a week full of nightmares.
The Villans recorded back-to-back home defeats prior to their visit to Craven Cottage, as well as losing Boubacar Kamara to a season-ending ACL injury to cap off a terrible week.
Once more, the Spaniard squeezed the resilience out of his squad, who produced an admirable performance against the Cottagers to claim three vital points.
How Aston Villa beat Fulham
In what was a well-contested fixture in the capital, the Midlands side came out on top despite their relentless injury woes.
Two goals from the ever-reliable Ollie Watkins sealed three points for the visitors, who as a result leapfrogged Tottenham to reclaim their spot in the top four.
There was a lot of anticipation over who the manager would select to replace Kamara alongside Douglas Luiz in the midfield, and his choice proved to be a success as John McGinn shone.
The Scotsman was one of the top candidates to be dropped back into the deeper central role to cover for his teammate’s absence, which saw Jacob Ramsey move to the flank to complete the 4-4-2 formation.
John McGinn was Aston Villa’s unsung hero vs Fulham
Despite thriving in a more advanced role in Emery’s system, it was usual service for McGinn, who demonstrated his adaptability in the midfield at Craven Cottage.
It was a slow start as expected for the Villa captain, as he settled into his new position alongside Luiz however his performance only grew as time ticked on.
Lauded as a ‘warrior’ by journalist John Townley in BirminghamLive’s post-match ratings, the 29-year-old earned an 8/10 match rating, which was justified by his numbers.
In the 90 minutes that he played in his newly assumed role, McGinn was as reliable as ever, only misplacing three passes to secure a pass completion rate of 90% in the engine room, via Sofascore.
There were big shoes for the Scotland international to fill in the absence of Kamara who, according to WhoScored, averages the highest rate of tackles at Villa in the Premier League this season with 2.2 per game.
The skipper certainly stepped up to the mark as he grew into the game, making three tackles and winning seven out of his 11 attempted ground duels to compliment the combative presence of Luiz.
The early signs show that the shift in the middle could pay off for Emery after receiving the damning news of Kamara’s injury but only time will tell just how much the Villans will miss the Frenchman.
