Game #5521
Saturday, 21 December 2019
Attendance: 41,834
Lost
Premier League
18th (-1)
Southampton
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟥
Villa Park
Villa put in their third successive poor League performance and are well beaten by Southampton at Villa Park with alarm bells ringing loudly.
Aston Villa
1-3
Southampton
Assist(s) | None
KEY MAN
John McGinn is injured on 8' not to return for 6 months, 21 December 2019
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🔁 | 8’ Sub off, John McGinn, Sub on, Marvelous Nakamba
🥅 | 21’ Goal, 0-1, (Southampton), Danny Ings
🥅 | 31’ Goal, 0-2, (Southampton), Jack Stephens
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-2 Southampton
🥅 | 51’ Goal, 0-3, (Southampton), Danny Ings
🔁 | 56’ Sub off, Conor Hourihane, Sub on, Jonathan Kodjia
🟨 | 67’ Booking, Anwar El Ghazi
🔁 | 68’ Sub off, Anwar El Ghazi, Sub on, Trézéguet
⚽ | 75’ Goal, 1-3, Jack Grealish
🟨 | 87’ Booking, Jonathan Kodjia
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-3 Southampton
ON THIS DAY
Villa lose Super John McGinn to injury in the 8’ and the dynamo of Villa’s midfield would not return until June 2020 and the restart of the Premier League after the COVID-19 shut down. The loss of John McGinn would prove to be hugely damaging to Villa’s system and their battle for survival in the Premier League.
After a largely solid start to their first season back in the top flight and with reversals having been flavoured with more than a little misfortune, the first truly worrying of signs hit Villa like an unwelcome Christmas present.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Southampton
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: 🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1975-76
FIXTURE HISTORY
Southampton
Previous 5 vs. Southampton: 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2019-20 |
Matchday | #22 |
League Game | #18 |
Manager Game | #60 |
Saturday, 21 December 2019
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Dean Smith | 🏴 | West Bromwich, 2018-2021
Referee: Craig Pawson | 🏴 | Sheffield & Hallam, 2008-
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-2
FT Score: 🟥 1-3
FT Result: 🟥 Lost
Last 5: 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟥
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Craig Pawson | 🏴 | Sheffield & Hallam, 2008-
Previous 5: 🟨 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 1 Dec 19, Villa 2-2 United (a)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Lee Betts, Ian Hussin
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
With only Douglas Luiz and Conor Hourihane surviving from the EFL Cup quarter final amore recognisable line up was selected with only Marvelous Nakamba and Henri Lansbury not featuring in the first XI from the previous league game.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age: | 25.50 |
Substitute Average Age: | 27.12 |
Oldest Player: GK Tom Heaton | 🏴 | 33.71 |
Youngest Player: M Douglas Luiz | 🇧🇷 | 21.63 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Dean Smith | 🏴 |
Ralph Hasenhüttl | 🇦🇹 |
Aston Villa
GK Tom Heaton | 🏴 |
LB Matt Targett | 🏴 |
CB Björn Engels | 🇧🇪 |
CB Kortney Hause | 🏴 |
RB Frédéric Guilbert | 🇫🇷 |
M Douglas Luiz | 🇧🇷 |
M Conor Hourihane | 🇮🇪 | 🔁 |
M John McGinn | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Jack Grealish | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W Anwar El Ghazi | 🇳🇱 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
CF Wesley | 🇧🇷 |
Southampton
GK Alex McCarthy | 🏴 |
RB Cédric Soares | 🇵🇹 |
CB Jack Stephens | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CB Jan Bednarek | 🇵🇱 |
LB Ryan Bertrand | 🏴 |
M James Ward-Prowse | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Stuart Armstrong | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Pierre-Emile Højbjerg | 🇩🇰 |
W Nathan Redmond | 🏴 |
CF Shane Long | 🇮🇪 | 🔁 |
CF Danny Ings | 🏴 | ⚽ | ⚽ | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Marvelous Nakamba | 🇿🇼 | for M John McGinn | 🏴 | 8' |
🔁 CF Jonathan Kodjia | 🇨🇮 | 🟨 | for M Conor Hourihane | 🇮🇪 | 56' |
🔁 W Trézéguet | 🇪🇬 | for W Anwar El Ghazi | 🇳🇱 | 68' |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Oriol Romeu | 🇪🇸 | for M Stuart Armstrong | 🏴 | 76’ |
🔁 | CF Michael Obafemi | 🇮🇪 | for CF Shane Long | 🇮🇪 | 82’ |
🔁 | CF Che Adams | 🏴 | for CF Danny Ings | 🏴 | 87’ |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Ørjan Nyland | 🇳🇴 |
CB Ezri Konsa | 🏴 |
RB Ahmed Elmohamady | 🇪🇬 |
M Henri Lansbury | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Angus Gunn | 🏴 |
CB Jannik Vestergaard | 🇩🇰 |
CB Maya Yoshida | 🇯🇵 |
W Sofiane Boufal | 🇲🇦 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI Cost: £88.02m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Homegrown: 1/11
Subs Cost: £31.41m
Team Cost: £119.43m
Squad Cost: £138.15m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/18
Homegrown: 1/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
GK Tom Heaton | 🏴 | £7.92m |
GK Ørjan Nyland | 🇳🇴 | £2.70m |
LB Matt Targett | 🏴 | £14.04m |
RB Frédéric Guilbert | 🇫🇷 | £4.50m |
RB Ahmed Elmohamady | 🇪🇬 | £0.99m |
CB Ezri Konsa | 🏴 | £11.97m |
CB Björn Engels | 🇧🇪 | £7.20m |
CB Kortney Hause | 🏴 | £2.70m |
M Douglas Luiz | 🇧🇷 | £15.12m |
M Marvelous Nakamba | 🇿🇼 | £10.80m |
M Conor Hourihane | 🇮🇪 | £3.15m |
M Henri Lansbury | 🏴 | £3.06m |
M John McGinn | 🏴 | £2.79m |
M Jack Grealish | 🏴 | Youth |
W Trézéguet | 🇪🇬 | £9.00m |
W Anwar El Ghazi | 🇳🇱 | £8.10m |
CF Wesley | 🇧🇷 | £22.50m |
CF Jonathan Kodjia | 🇨🇮 | £11.61m |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI Cost: £94.33m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 1/11
Subs Cost: £21.33m
Team Cost: £115.66m
Squad Cost: £165.25m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/18
Homegrown: 1/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
GK Angus Gunn | 🏴 | £9.69m |
GK Alex McCarthy | 🏴 | £4.23m |
LB Ryan Bertrand (ex) | 🏴 | £11.42m |
RB Cédric Soares | 🇵🇹 | £6.00m |
CB Jannik Vestergaard | 🇩🇰 | £21.46m |
CB Jan Bednarek | 🇵🇱 | £5.40m |
CB Maya Yoshida | 🇯🇵 | £2.40m |
CB Jack Stephens | 🏴 | £0.15m |
M Pierre-Emile Højbjerg | 🇩🇰 | £12.87m |
M Stuart Armstrong | 🏴 | £7.16m |
M Oriol Romeu | 🇪🇸 | £6.30m |
M James Ward-Prowse | 🏴 | Youth |
W Sofiane Boufal | 🇲🇦 | £16.04m |
W Nathan Redmond | 🏴 | £12.15m |
CF Danny Ings | 🏴 | £21.54m |
CF Che Adams | 🏴 | £15.03m |
CF Shane Long | 🇮🇪 | £13.41m |
CF Michael Obafemi | 🇮🇪 | Free |
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 3 |
CB Tyrone Mings | 🏴 | Unknown
GK Jed Steer | 🏴 | Unknown
CF Keinan Davis | 🏴 | Hamstring
Out on Loan | 6 |
GK Matija Šarkić | 🇲🇪 | Livingston
RB James Bree | 🏴 | Luton
M Jake Doyle-Hayes | 🇮🇪 | Cheltenham
CF Rushian Hepburn-Murphy | 🏴 | Derby
CF Scott Hogan | 🇮🇪 | Stoke
F Callum O’Hare | 🏴 | Coventry
Not Selected | 4 |
GK Lovre Kalinić | 🇭🇷 |
LB Neil Taylor | 🏴 |
CB James Chester | 🏴 |
W Jota | 🇪🇸 |
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Possession F | 56%
Possession A | 44%
Shots F | 19
Shots A | 17
Shots on Target F | 5
Shots on Target A | 8
Corners F | 7
Corners A | 5
Fouls F | 16
Fouls A | 15
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
*Villa boss Dean Smith*
“Obviously disappointed with the result and the performance. Whenever we concede a goal it feels like the end of the world at the moment. The manner we conceded the goals is very poor.
“We start the second half well and then the ball comes off Marvelous’ right foot and they score again. We weren’t good enough today to win the game.
“Three goals down against any team in any league is tough, in fairness to the lads they rallied but the manner of the goals we’re conceding is concerning and something to work on.”
On John McGinn: “He’s going for an X-ray. It’s a big disappointment, he went chasing the ball and got his studs caught in the ground. It doesn’t look good.”
*BBC Sport*
*Saturday, 21 December 2019*
*Southampton climbed out of the Premier League bottom three with a convincing win over a dismal Aston Villa at Villa Park.*
The result sees the Saints move up a place to 17th in the table as they leapfrog Villa, who drop to 18th after a fourth consecutive defeat.
The visitors controlled the game from start to finish and capitalised on some shambolic defending to register their biggest win since their 3-1 victory over Wolves in April.
Danny Ings opened the scoring, tapping in from close range after Shane Long’s initial effort was saved by Villa keeper Tom Heaton.
And Long could have added a second before Jack Stephens met James Ward-Prowse’s corner to double Saints’ lead with a towering header into the bottom right corner.
Ings punished Marvelous Nakamba’s loose control to add Southampton’s third after the break.
And while Jack Grealish’s superb effort flew into the top right corner for the hosts to reduce the arrears it was not enough to prevent Saints from claiming their fifth win of the season.
Villa plot their own downfall
If Villa manager Dean Smith had hoped that their Carabao Cup win over Liverpool’s youthful side on Tuesday would raise morale, there was little in this performance which will have encouraged him.
Villa’s struggles this term have been underpinned by two main problems, failing to capitalise on winning positions and on occasions delivering abject displays where they have been well beaten.
This was the latter.
While they conceded late goals in narrow defeats by Liverpool and Chelsea and possibly merited more than the point they collected at Manchester United, from the moment Ings put Southampton ahead, Villa looked shorn of confidence.
And all three goals were easily avoidable.
Bjorn Engels was caught out for the first with Nathan Redmond’s clipped ball over the top allowing Long to outstrip him for pace.
Stephens was allowed to run towards the near post unchecked for the second and Nakamba’s poor control compounded a defensive horror show for the hosts.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith:
“Obviously disappointed with the result and the performance. Whenever we concede a goal it feels like the end of the world at the moment. The manner we conceded the goals is very poor.
“We start the second half well and then the ball comes off Marvelous’ right foot and they score again. We weren’t good enough today to win the game.
“Three goals down against any team in any league is tough, in fairness to the lads they rallied but the manner of the goals we’re conceding is concerning and something to work on.”
On John McGinn: “He’s going for an X-ray. It’s a big disappointment, he went chasing the ball and got his studs caught in the ground. It doesn’t look good.”
----
*The Guardian*
*Saturday, 21 December 2019*
Southampton’s Danny Ings pushes Aston Villa into the relegation zone
Aston Villa splashed out almost £150m in the summer, half of which was apportioned to strengthening the defence but, on this evidence, they can feel short-changed after Southampton thrice exposed a concerning soft centre. Villa, who have lost seven of their past nine league matches, displayed a frailty that must have had the assistant coach John Terry tearing his hair out. Jack Grealish struck a wondrous half-volley late on but it proved nothing more than a consolation as Danny Ings continued his scoring streak, finding the net either side of Jack Stephens’ first-half header to earn a victory that hoists Southampton out of the relegation zone at Villa’s expense.
This was the start of a pivotal week for Villa, who host Norwich on Boxing Day before a trip to Watford. They got off on a bad note here – John McGinn hobbled off inside four minutes with a suspected ankle injury after making a thunderous block on Cédric Soares – and Dean Smith’s side never recovered. Until Grealish’s strike, they struggled to muster much more than a whiff of the Southampton goal, with Wesley guilty of stroking painfully wide from an early Anwar El Ghazi cross and it was only a matter of time before Southampton seized the initiative.
When Shane Long skipped on to a ball over the top by James Ward-Prowse, Villa were in trouble. Long beat Bjorn Engels for pace, with the Villa defender stuck in slow motion as Long raced away before striking at Tom Heaton, who palmed his shot into the path of Ings, who could not miss.
Soon after Kortney Hause was stuck in the mud and Southampton sensed another chance to spring forward. Villa got off the hook but it did not take long before Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side doubled their advantage, with Stephens glancing in unchallenged after comfortably beating his marker El Ghazi to a sweet Ward-Prowse corner. Long almost caused more pain before the interval but Hause intervened, helping the ball into Heaton’s grasp.
Villa’s entire back five, including Matt Targett, the former Southampton defender, were recruited following promotion last season and here they were pulled from pillar to post by Ings and co.
By the time Southampton added a third six minutes after half-time, Villa were at risk of a hiding. Ings’s second goal was gift-wrapped by the Villa substitute Marvelous Nakamba, who inadvertently nudged Nathan Redmond’s cross straight into the path of the striker.
Ings could not believe his luck, swivelling in the box before arrowing a shot beyond Heaton. On the touchline Jonathan Kodjia, the Villa striker limbering up for action, covered his head with his hands. The same reaction would have been fitting for Grealish’s peach 15 minutes from time, too. The Villa captain rattled home after Saints cleared corner to the edge of the box but ultimately it was too little, too late.