Aston Villa failed to make it seven straight wins in the Premier League this afternoon as they drew 1-1 with Brentford.
Unai Emery’s men were looking to continue their assault on the European places by securing yet another three points, however, it took a late Douglas Luiz equaliser to prevent them from slipping to a costly defeat.
Ivan Toney put the home side in front with just under half an hour to go, and it was perhaps against the run of play considering that Villa had dominated possession during the first half and into the second.
With the final minutes ticking by, Luiz scored by netting a cutback from Emiliano Buendia from close range and the points were shared.
There were a few players off the boil for Villa today, with left-back Alex Moreno struggling to cope with the Brentford attacks. He managed just 34 touches during his 66 minutes on the pitch while winning only 20% of his duels and losing possession eight times.
It wasn’t the best performance from the January signing, yet it was local hero Jacob Ramsey who was perhaps Emery’s biggest underperformer, especially considering how good he has been of late.
How did Jacob Ramsey perform for Aston Villa against Brentford?
The Englishman had registered five goal contributions in his previous six matches and having scored against Newcastle United last weekend, Emery was clearly looking at him to pose an attacking threat against the Bees.
Ramsey was deployed on the left wing and during the tie he managed only 36 touches, suggesting he wasn’t as involved as he has been in recent games and the youngster made just 20 passes throughout.
He did make two key passes, but his attacking output was severely limited, missing a big chance, completing only one successful dribble attempt, and taking three shots, which were all off target.
Journalist Gregg Evans claimed that “McGinn, Buendia and Ramsey can't find space” following the first half which saw no goals and perhaps this was the reason behind his below-par display.
It certainly wasn’t one of his finer matches for Villa, and it is a testament to how good the club have been since Emery arrived last year, when one of their most in-form players is having an off day, they still refuse to be beaten and this can only inspire confidence.
Ramsey will be looking to bounce back against Fulham in midweek as the chance to secure their highest finish in the Premier League since being promoted four years ago is within reach.
