Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland Post match thread

[papa lazarou]

We looked tired and the passing, absence of pressing and decision making reflected that. Few days rest now, but we need to freshen it up for Saturday.

We never looked in any danger really, as Sunderland look as bad as any side I have ever seen. We've gone from the sublime to the hardworking in QPR to last night, but we ground the result out and have put the three teams ahead of us under pressure.

Taylor was probably the worst. Snoddy did ok with his effort and pressing and he of course produced a moment of quality for the goal, but Davis and Onomah were way off the pace. Hourihane and Whelan far too deep and ball retention was poor.

Still, result was all that mattered and I went home happy. I know we can play well, really well and I know we can win when we play poorly. That's how titles are won.

Its a long old season, but we're coping quite well with the injuries and still have Grealish, Jedinak and Lansbury to freshen up that midfield. Hopefully Gabby isn't too far away, as he will offer something in this league and then there is Green and his pace too. Wolves, Cardiff and Sheffield United don't have that depth.

Well summed up. Unlike Saturday where we took control of the game, we weren't there last night. Onomah got robbed so many times, Hourihane was ordinary and O'Shea had Davis in his pocket - he really needs someone to play next to him. I'd still like to see us have more possession than the opposition at home, irrelevant of the "it matters what you do with the ball" argument.

[darren woolley]

I'm happy with the three points even if the performance wasn't that good we have just got to keep winning.

[john e]

I’ve seen better Football played at Newport Pagnell Football Club this season

and I’m not even kidding

[Brend'Watkins]

We looked tired and the passing, absence of pressing and decision making reflected that. Few days rest now, but we need to freshen it up for Saturday.

We never looked in any danger really, as Sunderland look as bad as any side I have ever seen. We've gone from the sublime to the hardworking in QPR to last night, but we ground the result out and have put the three teams ahead of us under pressure.

Taylor was probably the worst. Snoddy did ok with his effort and pressing and he of course produced a moment of quality for the goal, but Davis and Onomah were way off the pace. Hourihane and Whelan far too deep and ball retention was poor.

Still, result was all that mattered and I went home happy. I know we can play well, really well and I know we can win when we play poorly. That's how titles are won.

Its a long old season, but we're coping quite well with the injuries and still have Grealish, Jedinak and Lansbury to freshen up that midfield. Hopefully Gabby isn't too far away, as he will offer something in this league and then there is Green and his pace too. Wolves, Cardiff and Sheffield United don't have that depth.

Well summed up. Unlike Saturday where we took control of the game, we weren't there last night. Onomah got robbed so many times, Hourihane was ordinary and O'Shea had Davis in his pocket - he really needs someone to play next to him. I'd still like to see us have more possession than the opposition at home, irrelevant of the "it matters what you do with the ball" argument.

We do have plenty of possession.  Our problem is keeping hold of it and that's down to poor passing and good movement.  Something we lacked last night in equal measures.

[Small Rodent]

I was watching with the sound down out of the corner of my eye, but they were still getting forward a lot better than at the start of the season. It just didn't really take a defensive genius to guess what we were going to do with the ball with our lack on incisiveness.

Good ground out result though, and the younger players will keep learning.

[PeterWithesShin]

On the plus side, if you're going to have a crap performance it's best to do it against a side so bad that our 2015/16 side would beat them. 16 league games without a win, 3 league wins in 2017 and at least 8 first teamers out last night.

[Chris Smith]

I thought it was a professional if uninspiring performance in which we were never really under too much threat, even with those few free kicks being swung in at the end. A typical Bruce type of win.

Sunderland reminded me very much of us over the last few years, not terrible throughout but always capable of dropping regular individual clangers that shatter any confidence built, they weren't as bad as I expected them to be.

Despite the strength of the bench it was concerning that Bruce had no forward options to change a clearly out of sorts young partnership.

Some decent individual performances, Snodgrass had his best game for us I've seen and the centre halves were solid. MOM by some distance though was Hutton who was excellent.

I said the same thing about their performance being reminiscent of us in previous years, it’s a fragility they will need to address quickly or they could be gone. A definite case of the whole not matching the sum of the parts.

I also agree on Snodgrass, he played like it mattered to him and he carried that on after the whistle with the way he went round his teammates. In Terry’s absence good to see somebody stepping up.

[Richard E]

On the plus side, if you're going to have a crap performance it's best to do it against a side so bad that our 2015/16 side would beat them. 16 league games without a win, 3 league wins in 2017 and at least 8 first teamers out last night.

20 home games without a win in any competition. They not have won at home once in 2017.

[Deano's Mullet]

Our league record of wins draws and losses after eighteen games is exactly the same as 95-96. Keep it up and we will be fine. Provided we get a striker in January.

[VinnieChase84]

Typical wet and dark midweek match v a team who will be lucky to stay up.
Said before kick off that the result was ALL that mattered so i am not going to complain too much. We all know it was an awful game, a few positives for me though;

Snodgrass work rate was exceptional. Top performance, just a shame he wasn't more composed with his chance.

Hutton - like Snodgrass, he worked very hard for the team and made a few crucial interceptions/challenges. Our number 1 right back currently. Having said that i thought Taylor was poor so would be tempted to put Hutton LB and Elmo back at RB

We won!

[Villa Lew]

On the plus side, if you're going to have a crap performance it's best to do it against a side so bad that our 2015/16 side would beat them. 16 league games without a win, 3 league wins in 2017 and at least 8 first teamers out last night.

But it's not just tonight, apart from the Norwich game we haven't played well all season at home. Just looking at the Sheffield Wednesday game, when we went 2 down we never looked like pulling it back. Last night, after the first goal, we scored a fortunate 2nd, otherwise, apart from Snodgrass's miss, can't remember us creating a decent chance. Their goalie let the ball go through his hands from a corner, but we never tested him again from crosses, and this against a Sunderland team, with 7 players missing.  Our lack of creativity all season is very concerning.

The good news is Albert is in tremendous form and Hutton, the Scottish Cafu, is probably playing the best football of his career.

[john e]

Samba and Hutton were great last night

(Things you never thought you’d never write)

[andyaston]

27k vs Sunderland on a Tuesday night. Most championship clubs and some premiership clubs would love that.

Here, here. A winter's night with 2 home games in 4 days and Christmas around the corner against what have become over the years an unattractive opposition.

[Dave P]

Davis had a poor game but I can forgive him as a) he never hid away, b) he's young and still learning and c) we won.

[olaftab]

Albert was MotM for me. Not just his goal but tremendous work rate. We need him for the rest of the season with Jimmy out.