Aston Villa had a host of top performers on Sunday during the 2-0 win over Arsenal, with one of Unai Emery’s stars earning high praise for the part he played against the Gunners.
It was quite the return for Unai Emery at the Emirates on Sunday, as Aston Villa derailed Arsenal’s title hopes to take three points from the Gunners.
A 2-0 away win was certainly not a result that could have been predicted prior to kick-off however, Emery’s side did him proud in what was hailed as a “tactical masterclass” from the Spaniard by Alan Shearer.
The visitors had to be patient to take full control of the fixture, as Leon Bailey opened the scoring in the 84th minute, followed shortly after by Ollie Watkins who sealed the win and claimed his 19th goal of the season.
While Watkins’ record-equalling goal will rightfully see a lot of praise aimed his way, another one of Emery’s players was lauded for his performance in North London.
Shay Given showered praise on Diego Carlos for his display against Arsenal
Former Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given spoke highly of his ex-club’s display against Arsenal, singling out man of the match Diego Carlos for his commanding showing at the Emirates.
The Brazilian was awarded Man of the Match by Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville, whose high opinion of the defender’s performance was echoed by Given on BBC Match of the Day.
“They were rock solid at the back and for me, this guy, Diego Carlos was their star man. Every decision he made was the right decision.”
“Look how quick he was over the grass, absolutely brilliant, didn’t give Jesus a sniff of picking the ball up.”
“I was joking in the back room calling him the mop because everywhere the ball was today he was mopping up, he was absolutely brilliant.”
Diego Carlos was at his best against Arsenal once again
In the home fixture against the Gunners, Carlos was also crowned man of the match for his ability to keep the threat of Mikel Arteta’s side at bay throughout the contest.
On Sunday, the 31-year-old provided a similar level of performance, not allowing the hosts to break through despite their best efforts in the first half.
During Sky Sports’ live coverage of the game, Neville lauded the former Sevilla dynamo as “immense”, dubbing him the “best player” in the opening 45 minutes for the Villans.
Given Emery’s current defensive injuries with the likes of Tyrone Mings, Clement Lenglet and Matty Cash not able to feature against Arsenal, it was integral that Carlos stepped up to the challenge, which he passed with flying colours.
