Aston Villa continued their excellent recent form with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest which has moved the club into the dizzying heights of sixth place in the Premier League table – an arguably unthinkable thought when Unai Emery took over last year.
Villa dominated the first half, having 69% possession, yet they couldn’t find a breakthrough, and it was 0-0 heading into the half-time interval.
Leon Bailey had to be substituted during the first half due to injury and Bertrand Traore replaced him. He was the match-winning hero against Leicester City in midweek, and it didn’t take him long to score again, netting just after the break.
Ollie Watkins sealed the victory in the dying minutes and the club are clearly enjoying themselves right now. Traore, clearly thriving in confidence, also managed three shots in total, was fouled twice and lost possession just four times in another solid performance, although it was perhaps another Villa star who made sure all three points were secured in defender Tyrone Mings.
How did Tyrone Mings perform against Nottingham Forest?
The defender has been excellent since Emery arrived at Villa Park, going from strength to strength and helping the club keep seven clean sheets since returning to domestic duty after the World Cup.
Mings was once again outstanding today following his solid display against the Foxes on Tuesday night, winning two of his three duels and making six clearances – and the quick turnaround clearly didn’t affect him this afternoon.
The 30-year-old took 95 touches during the match, suggesting he was comfortable on the ball and wanted to start attacks from the heart of the defence, while achieving a Sofascore rating of 7.3/10, ranking him as the second-highest outfield player behind goalscorer Watkins.
The English titan was rock solid at the back, making two interceptions, one clearance and winning six out of his seven duels, failing to let Forest gain any sort of foothold in the game and nullifying their attacking options.
He was also successful with six of his nine long ball attempts and completed an impressive 88% of his total passes, and Emery surely now has one of the finest English centre-backs in the Premier League at his disposal.
His performance was integral to yet another win for Villa, and even though the likes of Watkins and Traore will get all the headlines, we think Mings’ incredible defensive display should be equally praised.
