Player Ratings: Sheffield United 1-0 Aston Villa

Sheffield United did to Aston Villa exactly what Aston Villa did to Leeds United just a few nights ago with Chris Wilder managing the game to good effect.

Emi Martínez: 6/10

A quiet evening for the Villa keeper due to most of the play being spent in the Sheffield United half.

The man between the sticks did not do much wrong when called upon and there’s nothing that he could have done about the lone goal of the game.

In an evening of frustration, the Argentine saw himself spending most of the closing stages barking orders forward from the halfway line, with the odd venture forward to provide more aerial threat from the late corners.

Ahmed Elmohamady: 5/10

A really poor evening for the right-back standing in for injured, Matty Cash.

His lack of positional awareness saw Sheffield United take the lead midway through the first half with an unmarked tap-in at the back post.

On the attacking front, Elmohamady was never able to guide his crosses into the box, leaving Watkins starved of service.

Usually a reliable distributor of the ball, he found his attempted efforts consistently failing to make a positive effect on the game.

Ezri Konsa: 6/10

The center-back had a late shot parried by the Sheffield United keeper, which could have seen the gamed flipped on its head.

Other than that and the occasional dispossession of the United counter-attack, the defense were bystanders to a lackluster attacking display from the away team.

Tyrone Mings: 6/10

Like his center-back partner, the England international was tasked with the odd clearance and when distributing the ball forward, he often looked to the full-back and it worked effectively.

He has had games where more defending has been required, however, it was just one of those days.

Matt Targett: 5/10

A poor performance from the full-back meant his poor crossing halted many dangerous Villa attacks.

He regularly failed to beat the first man, with the rare few venturing out for a goal kick.

Marvelous Nakamba: 5/10

A second start in successive games down in Yorkshire for the Zimbabwean international as he failed to hit the same heights that he did nearby at Elland Road.

Due to Villa being the team on the front foot, it failed to suit Nakamba’s style of play, often leaving him neglected in front of the defense.

He was poor with his forward passing, often looking sideways or backwards.

John McGinn: 6/10

The Scotsman was often the one looking to drive his team forward as he had a few efforts whistle wide of the post on this occasion.

For a man struggling for goals this season, it was hard to tell as Villa looked most dangerous through him, however, his attacking contributions often left the midfield stretched when susceptible to the counter-attack.

He struggled to find space with his forward running due to the volume of numbers in the Sheffield United defense.

Jacob Ramsey: 5/10

The youngster struggled to stamp his authority on proceedings, often being muscled out of the game and dispossessed on a number of occasions.

He took too long with his decision making on the ball in a game that needed sharp, efficient, and precise football to break down a resilient defensive outfit.

Anwar El Ghazi: 6/10

Another player unlucky in his forward running.

For all his hard work to move the ball forward effectively, his final ball was massively lacking and that’s what ended up costing us on the attacking front.

He had his fair share of poor contributions with crosses into the box barely beating the first man at times.

He had enough to get the odd supporter out of their seat, but then quickly ensured they sat back down with his final delivery.

Bertrand Traoré: 6/10

This evening saw the Burkina Faso winger wondering if he left his shooting boots in the changing room after wriggling into a number of good shooting opportunities that many would expect a man of his capability to put in the back of the net.

On the other hand, on more than one occasion, his efforts were dragged wide or sent straight down the throat of the Sheffield United keeper.

Ollie Watkins: 6/10

Ollie Watkins did his duty of running in behind the back-line to good effect after causing veteran, Phil Jagielka, many headaches with his quick turn of pace.

He arguably should have won a penalty with the score at 0-0 after an off the ball challenge and later saw a glancing header tickle the crossbar.

Certainly not his best performance, but not his worst by any means.

(SUB) Ross Barkley: 5/10

(SUB) Morgan Sanson: 5/10

(SUB) Keinan Davis: 4/10