Aston Villa player ratings vs Bologna: Jhon Duran & John McGinn goals maintain 100% record in Champions League

Unai Emery’s men have soared to the summit of the league phase table courtesy of Jhon Duran’s seventh goal of the season and a whipped free-kick from skipper John McGinn.

There were a few scares in the first half as Bologna looked dangerous on the transition but Villa dominated possession for large stretches, finding plenty of space in and around the area. Duran was the first Villan to register a shot on target - heading toward goal from a Youri Tielemans corner - but Lukasz Skorupski made a strong reaction save. An effort from McGinn curler, destined for the far bottom corner, was then directed away by the Bologna goalkeeper.

The visitors certainly weren’t afraid to go strong into challenges to try and interrupt Villa’s flow, pushing and shoving their way to force Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro into awarding fouls whenever possible. Bologna, aggressive with their press, also forced Emiliano Martinez into a few routine saves.

Villa finally started to get into their groove approaching half time, though, as Morgan Rogers had two superb chances in quick succession. The attacker’s first was a driven left-footed shot from range but it fizzed narrowly past the post. The second was a one-on-one well saved by Skorupski after a superbly-timed through pass from Leon Bailey.

Villa finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, super John McGinn finding the net from a wide free-kick. It looked more like a cross as the captain swung in deep but the delivery evaded everyone, curling into the far bottom corner. It was a deserved opener for the hosts, who re-emerged the better of the two teams and had gone close through Bailey just a few phases of play beforehand.

It didn’t take long for Duran to double Villa’s lead, directing delicately into the far bottom corner with an elegant volley. Rogers did well to recycle what appeared to be a lost ball on the left flank before teeing up Duran with a perfectly-weighted cross. The goalscorer hoped he’d earned a bye from being substituted but Emery stuck to his guns to bring on Ollie Watkins. Duran was furious and thrashed his seat in the dugout before marching down the tunnel a few minutes later.

Villa, comfortable with their two-goal advantage, sat a little deeper and reduced the tempo of the encounter. Samuel Iling Junior, a Villa player but on loan at Bologna, came on for a late cameo to a huge round of applause. It was then Boubacar Kamara’s turn to gain a roar from the home crowd as the midfielder, finally back from his serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, was handed his first competitive minutes back.

One last chance for Bologna gave Villa a wake-up call as Sam Beumeka rattled the woodwork with a near-post header from a corner. It was fairly routine from that point on, though, as the men in claret and blue passed the ball around with a swagger. Nine points out of nine, the Champions League march is well and truly on. Here’s how BirminghamWorld reporter Charlie Haffenden rated the players.

Player ratings

Emiliano Martinez - 8

Maintained his focus to make four fairly routine saves, none of which were particularly testing. It’s a fourth clean sheet of the season for the World Cup winner.

Ezri Konsa - 7

Struggled to deal with Ndoye in the opening exchanges but sured up afterward in the auxiliary right-back role.

Diego Carlos - 8

A formidable display at the back to out-muscle the likes of Dallinga and Orsolini with ease. Made half-a-dozen clearances.

Pau Torres - 7

Responded well to his mistake at the weekend, making the odd interception and passing calmly out from the back.

Ian Maatsen - 8

Looked confident when taking on his man and linked up brilliantly with McGinn, making runs on both the overlap and underlap. Also made several well-timed tackles.

Amadou Onana - 7 (off at HT)

Got stuck in throughout the first half and saw a speculative effort blocked. Taken off at the break, possibly related to some treatment he received.

Youri Tielemans - 8 (off 78’)

Did superbly throughout to charge away from challenges and keep his balance to progress Villa up the field. Swung in some excellent deliveries from set pieces.

John McGinn - 8* (off 65’)

Scored the opening goal with a wide direct free-kick. It’ll be interesting whether the skipper claims it was on purpose or not as it looked more like a cross, but he won’t care! It was deserved, regardless, as the captain was terrific on the half-turn all night.

Leon Bailey - 6 (off 65’)

Created Rogers’ huge chance just before half time with a brilliant through pass but otherwise struggled to make his mark, often letting first touches get away from him.

Morgan Rogers - 7.5

A Rogers-esque performance, put simply, as the attacker relentlessly drove through the centre to create chances for himself and his teammates. He missed his own opportunities, however, either striking narrowly wide or failing to beat the goalkeeper.

Jhon Duran - 8 (off 65’)

Scored with his final touch before being substituted, converting exquisitely into the far corner. Also had Villa’s first shot on target, a good header from a corner. Created a good chance for Bailey with a clever flick-on. Tried his best to defend from the front but ended up giving away several fouls.

Subs:

Ross Barkley - 7.5 (on at HT)

Played a vital role in Villa clicking into another gear in the second half as he was direct and urgent with his passing.

Jaden Philogene - 6 (on 65’)

Provided good width and pace down the right but lacked with his final ball. Somehow managed to scuff one shot straight out for a throw-in.

Ollie Watkins - 6.5 (on 65’)

Made himself useful as an outlet up top late on when Villa were seeing out the win.

Jacob Ramsey - 6.5 (on 65’)

Made some good runs down the left and was denied a goal by a strong save, the last kick of the game.

Boubacar Kamara - 6.5 (on 78’)

Made his long-awaited return from injury but didn’t have long enough to make his mark.