Aston Villa player ratings gallery v Wolves: ‘Shining light’ gets 7/10 but four get dismal 4s

Aston Villa took another huge dent to their European hopes with a narrow 1-0 defeat to local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon. Beaten by an outstanding ninth-minute header from Toti Gomes, Unai Emery’s side were unable to gain any real control in the first half and were then uninspiring in the second. The usual passing out from the back was largely ineffective and Wolves won more of their individual battles, especially in midfield. The odd chance was created but Villa’s shots either had a severe lack of accuracy or were saved by Jose Sa. Next week’s game against Tottenham Hotspur now looks make or break.

As expected, it was a scrappy opening 10 minutes or so with plenty of noise from both sets of supporters. Any possession for either side was quickly snuffed out, but there were a couple of opportunities from set pieces and Wolves were able to find an early breakthrough as a result. Play was paused temporarily for some pushing and shoving in the penalty area between Craig Dawson and John McGinn, but Ruben Neves was eventually able to deliver a delightful out-swinging corner to find Toti Gomes. The Wolves defender towered above Tyrone Mings to head the ball with power in off the crossbar, sending the home support into a frenzy.

Villa reacted to the goal well - at least initially - to craft a chance of their own soon after but Jose Sa made a brilliant save to deny a quickfire equaliser. Ollie Watkins nodded down a long ball with his head to find Emi Buendia and the Argentine was there to hit first time on the half-volley. Sa reacted brilliantly, though, as he dived across and made a terrific stop. From that point on in the first half, the Villans began to control possession but much of their passing was inaccurate, allowing easy defensive interventions for Wolves.

Two opportunities did arise just beyond the half-hour mark for top scorer Watkins, but the striker was unable to convert either. The first was an audacious acrobatic effort that went just wide, whereas the second was a tame header that was caught easily by Wanderers’ goalkeeper. As the half time break approached, the home support was infuriated by a host of refereeing decisions going Villa’s way. Most were correct calls but that didn’t stop the frustration growing - and the tension soon made its way onto the field itself. Diego Costa and Mings were both booked after a small scrap near the halfway line, causing many a jeer from the crowd. The pair eventually made up, however, walking away with wry smiles.

Emery made a tactical substitution at the interval, taking Bertrand Traore off for injury returnee Leon Bailey. Traore had struggled with his accuracy in the first half, so it was an understandable call. It was Wolves who had the next big chance of the game, though, as Costa broke free through the centre just two minutes into the second period. Played in by a neat Pedro Neto through ball, the Brazilian striker got plenty of power on his shot but Emiliano Martinez did well to make a save. That opportunity acted as an effective wake-up call for the visitors as Villa had plenty of the ball and were beginning to look far more dangerous come the 60th minute or so. The corners were mounting up and Ashley Young had a curling shot go narrowly wide from just outside the area.

The veteran right-back was replaced soon after as Diego Carlos entered the field to be a big cheer. With Konsa moving into the spot Young had occupied, Carlos stepped into central defence and was quickly called into action to defend a succession of Wolves crosses, one of which so nearly deflected in off his right boot. Having weathered the Wanderers storm, Villa crafted their best opportunity of the game with a free-kick from about 30 yards. Douglas Luiz looked as if he was going to attempt a shot but put in a well-disguised floating cross to find an unnmarked Mings. The centre-half had so much of the goal to aim at but didn’t get his knee over the ball, leading to it flying well over the crossbar. Buendia then had a similar outcome with a first-time shot as he miscued Alex Moreno’s low cross.

As much as Villa went forward, things just didn’t seem to click at the vital moments and Wolves were able to absorb the pressure. The noise in the away end was drowned out by a lack of urgency from their side and Emery looked despondent on the touchline as a result. Jhon Duran was thrown on to try and offer a bit more in the final 10 minutes or so but it wasn’t enough as the hosts held on for a huge three points. Villa, meanwhile, are zero out of six for their two outings on the road. Here are our player ratings, including one fortunate 7/10 and four dismal 4s.