Player Ratings: Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa - All bark and no bite against the buzzing Bees!

Emi Martinez: 6/10

Made a number of key saves throughout the game, but was completely left out to dry on Mads Roerslev’s second effort on goal after stopping his initial shot. Certainly a day where the Argentine should be giving his backline a strong talking to after that performance.

Matty Cash: 6/10

Wasn’t afraid to get forward and push Villa up the pitch early on, but with the away sides slow work ethic in the second half, Cash struggled to get into those threatening wide areas.

Ezri Konsa: 6.5/10

Easily the best Villa defender on the day, which really isn’t saying much given the performances of some of his teammates. Unfortunately, Konsa was left with everything to do on a number of occasions, which highlights a poor away outing in West London.

Kortney Hause: 5/10

A rather poor outing for the now third choice center-back, who struggled to make the simplest of passes at times and failed to clear Mads Roerslev’s second effort on goal.

Matt Targett: 4/10

A day to forget for the left-back as he often made poor passes and lost possession on a number of occasions as well. He also struggled to get forward on the overlap today, which limited Villa’s attacking options.

John McGinn: 5/10

An unfamiliar performance from the stand-in Villa captain, with his most memorable contribution being a long-distance effort on goal that went comfortably over the Brentford goal.

Douglas Luiz: 5/10

Sat in the holding role as per usual and was spraying passes around for fun until the second half where the entire Villa midfield became far too relaxed and passive. The Brazilian’s frustrations were for all to see in the final 10 minutes of the game as Luiz made a number of pointless fouls.

Jacob Ramsey: 5/10

Showed bits of quality on the day, but was never able to really make an impact on proceedings. May have benefited more in this line-up if he was pushed slightly forward.

Emi Buendia: 7/10

The little Argentine shined bright in the first half, cutting through Brentford’s midfielders and defenders with ease at times. Tried to push Villa on in the second half, but with the lack of movement going forward, it was always going to be difficult.

Bertand Traore: 3/10

A very frustrating outing for the tricky winger, who showed that there is plenty of rust to work off in order to get back into top form. Always tried to lure a Brentford player in when on the ball, but with the home side maintaining their shape, Traore was ineffective throughout the game.

Danny Ings: 7/10

Very strong first half performance from the leading man, but with a lack of support in the second half, Ings was unable to score a second goal for Villa on the day.

SUBSTITUTES:

Morgan Sanson (69 mins): 6/10

Replaced Jacob Ramsey and while he made a number of nice passes and touches early on, he also neglected some of his defensive responsibilities in which was a constant theme for Villa on the day.

Trezeguet (80 mins): N/A

Replaced Bertrand Traore.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Emi Buendia

A tough call today, with the majority of Steven Gerrard’s men failing to impress, but the Argentine was a shining light on a number of occasions and tried to push Villa forward with his drive and determination. Seeing more of this version of Emi Buendia would be a welcome sight for all Villans.

Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images