Aston Villa: One ‘in a million’ Alex Moreno shines v Everton despite result
When Lucas Digne suffered an injury in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, there were concerns at Aston Villa about whether Alex Moreno would step up in his absence, but they have now been put aside.
In the 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park, Moreno proved once again that he is the man to be trusted in that role, putting in an eye-catching performance to help Unai Emery’s side earn a clean sheet.
A strike into the bottom corner from 20 yards, which Alan Smith described as “a strike in a million” [Sky Sports, 14 January, 14:19] would have decided the game but for a controversial VAR call which ruled it out for offside.
With Digne reportedly making good progress ahead of his recovery from the injury blow, having resumed light training at Aston Villa’s training ground, the pressure was on Moreno to show he deserves to keep his starting place from now on.
Villa were able to dominate possession throughout, despite struggling to create many chances, but it wasn’t for the want of trying with Moreno able to bomb down the left-hand side and cause issues for the Everton defence with his overlapping runs.
His seven crosses, two key passes, three dribbles and 72 per cent passing accuracy showed how eager he was to create chances, and the willingness of his teammates to feed him the ball was exemplified by his 86 touches. [Sofascore]
The defensive side of his game also stood out, which would have pleased Emery, as he made three tackles and six clearances to ease the pressure on the defence, as well as drawing two fouls as Villa looked to dictate the pace and fluidity of the game.
It will now be up to Emery to decide who his starting left-back is for the rest of the season, with Digne nearing a return from injury while Moreno has proved to be a more than capable replacement during his run of games, and it will not be an easy call for the boss to make.
