Aston Villa will be thrilled to have earned a point as a result of a late comeback against Liverpool although one of Unai Emery’s players stood out for the wrong reasons.
Jhon Duran was the hero against Liverpool on Monday night, as the Colombian secured a late comeback to earn Aston Villa a point against the Reds.
The hosts were 3-1 down in the 85th minute of play before Duran opted to change the outcome of the fixture himself, scoring two goals in three minutes to earn Villa a crucial result in the final home game of the 2023/24 season.
READ MORE: Emi Martinez created unwanted Premier League history in Liverpool draw
While a win would have secured Champions League football for the Villans, a point now sees Spurs marginally in control of the race for fourth, however, one slip-up from Ange Postecoglou’s side would see Villa confirm a top-four finish.
Things could have been, and were almost, very different for the Midlands club against Liverpool, with one player standing out as a weak spot for the visitors to exploit.
Lucas Digne disappointed Alan Smith with his performance against Liverpool
Villa left-back Lucas Digne had a difficult start to the game defending against Mohamed Salah, seeing him consistently lose out to Liverpool’s threat down the right side.
During the first half, Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith had a lot to say about the Frenchman’s performance, saying that the £25m signing was ‘nowhere near’ the level needed to limit the Reds.
“Lucas Digne does nowhere near enough, flimsy at best.”
Early in the first half, the same problem continued to arise, seeing Smith comment on Digne’s display once more, saying on commentary:
“Lucas Digne on that far side, we do not know what’s going on with him. He’s having an absolute nightmare.”
Lucas Digne was a weak point for Aston Villa against Liverpool
It was an evening to forget for Digne, who lost possession more than any other Villa player over the 90 minutes, giving the ball away a staggering 23 times.
Not many have passed the task of keeping the likes of Salah quiet this season, with the former Everton defender failing miserably to contain the Egyptian, as told by his statistics.
| Lucas Digne game in numbers against Liverpool |
| 90 minutes played |
| 3 clearances |
| 1x dribbled past |
| 7/14 duels won |
| 23x possession lost |
| 2 fouls committed |
| 71% passing accuracy |
| 2/5 dribbles completed |
Seeing goals conceded from the flanks is something that Unai Emery must address ahead of next season, with Digne’s frailty on the left side leading to the lack of marking to prevent Jarell Quansah’s goal.
In what could have been his last game at Villa Park amid speculation over his future at Villa, it was certainly not the farewell the 30-year-old would have wished for, with Smith’s comments summing up the extent of the Frenchman’s struggles against Liverpool.
