Villa vs Burnley man of the match: Jack Grealish

[Editor’s Note] Every match, Liam - our young writer - selects a ‘man of the match’ - win, lose or draw.

New Year, New Villa as the boys in green began 2020 by beating Burnley 2-1, the Villans first away victory in over 2 months.

After one win in their last six Premier League matches, Dean Smith’s side were under scrutiny by the Villa faithful with the fan base desperate for another three points. The West-Bromwich born coach emphasised the difficulty of this New Year’s Day fixture with Burnley now an established team in England’s top flight. “Sean Dyche knows how to do well in this league. They’ve been in the Premier League for a few years now and they’ve become an established team. They’ll be hard to beat, and Turf Moor is a place that we’re going to have to roll our sleeves up at.”

Could the Villans beat the Clarets for the 51st time in their history or will Dyche’s side end their losing streak after previously losing to Man United and Everton?

The away side started brightly in the first half and appeared to have taken the lead through Grealish however VAR overturned the goal in the 11th minute due to Wesley being marginally offside in the build up to the goal.

The Brazilian striker Wesley took the lead in the 27th minute after the Villan powerfully struck the ball through Pope’s legs. Jack Grealish then extended Villa’s lead in the 41st minute as the Skipper’s exquisite finish into the top left hand corner prompted jubilant scenes in the away stand.

Burnley dominated possession throughout the second half and scored a consolation goal through Chris Wood in the 80th minute however the home side were unsuccessful in finding an equaliser and Aston Villa secured all three points.

A fantastic performance from the boys in green as every Villa player worked tirelessly in order to secure a victory away from home. There was one man who stood out above the rest and was influential throughout the fixture, that man was Jack Grealish.

The English midfielder constantly troubled Burnley’s defence as he has now created 15 chances in his last 4 Premier League games, an average of 3.75 per game. He consistently linked up play and provided Wesley with his 5th goal of the season. If he continues to perform to the best of his ability for Aston Villa then surely he should given a chance by Gareth Southgate to play for England’s national team? Jack is a fantastic talent who I thoroughly enjoy watching weekly and I sincerely hope that the club maintain their Premier League status for another year in order for Grealish to stay at the Villa.

Let’s hope for another victory against Fulham in the FA Cup on Saturday!