Player Ratings: Aston Villa 2-0 Norwich City - Two clean sheets in a row for Gerrard’s men!

Emi Martinez: 7/10

Another clean sheet for the Argentine, who now has two in a row. Made a quality save in the first half of play, denying Milot Rashica’s effort from just outside of the Aston Villa box.

Matty Cash: 7/10

Not the strongest performance from the right-back, but Cash was a key outlet for his side when it came to moving down the right flank. Was composed when defending and kept threats down the right side of the pitch to a minimum.

Calum Chambers: 8/10

Coming in for Ezri Konsa, the Englishman was neat and tidy when on the ball and didn’t look out of place from a defensive perspective either.

Tyrone Mings: 8/10

The Villa captain was superb on the day! Whether it was a last-minute tackle or cutting out a passing lane for the opposition, Mings was covering all the bases in which helped secure a second clean sheet in a row for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Lucas Digne: 7.5/10

Great to see the left-back back in the starting line-up and he didn’t disappoint, with a number of quality crosses put into the Norwich City box. It’s also fair to say that Villa looked much more lethal with the Frenchman running down the left.

Tim Iroegbunam: 7/10

A very solid debut for the debutant, showing real precision and hunger in the tackle. The 18-year-old helped steady the midfield and didn’t look out of place whatsoever.

John McGinn: 7/10

The Scotsman wasn’t afraid to have a crack on goal today, with most of his efforts being blocked by a packed Norwich penalty area. Showed plenty of commitment from a defensive point of view as well, making a number of well-timed tackles.

Jacob Ramsey: 7/10

The young Villan was full of purpose when on the ball, making a number of promising runs forward and causing Norwich some real trouble around their penalty area.

Philippe Coutinho: 7/10

No goals or assists today, but the tricky Brazilian was full of purpose when on the ball, with some great spells of possession and precise passing. Hopefully, we’ll see more of this version of Philippe Coutinho for the rest of the season!

Leon Bailey: 5/10

A real mixed bag for the winger on the day, showing bits of quality and sloppiness when on the ball. Nearly put his side 1-0 up, with his effort from outside of the Norwich box being pushed onto the bar by Tim Krul.

Ollie Watkins: 7.5/10

The striker was a busy figure at Villa Park today, both from an offensive and defensive point of view. Although some could argue he could have scored at least one more goal, Watkins made up for those missed chances by supporting his teammates with extra defensive coverage when needed.

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SUBSTITUTES:

Danny Ings (40 mins): 8/10

Replaced the injured Leon Bailey and made an immediate impact, setting up Ollie Watkins with a promising through ball, which the striker put past Norwich goalkeeper, Tim Krul. The striker added to his tally as well, scoring Villa’s second goal of the game.

Douglas Luiz (73 mins): 7/10

Replaced Tim Iroegbunam

Emi Buendia (76 mins): 7/10

Replaced Philippe Coutinho and added to his assist tally, finding Danny Ings to truly secure all three points for the home side.

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MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Ings

The Englishman may have only came on in the 40th minute of play, but capping off a pleasing performance with a goal and an assist is always a positive. Should give the striker plenty of confidence heading into the rest of the season.

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images