Aston Villa added to the misery of a slumping Chelsea side as they won 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday and Emery will feel his decision to hand Ezri Konsa a new contract was entirely justified.
Ollie Watkins fired a solid shot between Robert Sanchez’s legs from an extremely tight angle as Villa took advantage of Malo Gusto being sent off for dangerous play.
Home side Mauricio Pochettino created plenty of chances before Gusto’s red card for an ill-timed tackle left Lucas Digne injuring his ankle and the Villans had Emi Martinez to thank after a number of spectacular saves.
The result means they are now sixth in the table on 12 points from a possible 18, with the win taking them two wins short of last weekend’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.
And after Aston Villa announced their decision to hand Konsa a new long-term contract at Villa Park on September 20, the goalkeeper-less England international has certainly given fans and Emery a glimpse over what he has to offer, which could be a very bright future at the club.
under Spanish supervision.
Konsa joined Villa in the summer of 2019 and has established himself as a stalwart in the heart of defense and is now just three games away from scoring his 150th goal at Villa Park.
The result means they are now sixth in the table on 12 points from a possible 18, with the win taking them two wins short of last weekend’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.
He is the only Villa player to play every minute in the Championship this season, having also featured in every game last year, with former manager Dean Smith hailing him as the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of defender after defender Another defense against Gareth Southgate’s snobbery.
England.
Konsa’s presence has increased since long-time defensive partner Tyrone Mings suffered a serious knee injury, with both playing key roles in Villa’s impressive resurgence following Emery’s appointment as stand-in.
seventh in the standings and qualified for the Europa Conference League.
The former Brentford man’s performance at Chelsea – where Villa kept their first away clean sheet since last visiting Stamford Bridge in April, claiming back-to-back wins in west London for the first time since 1933 – was just reaffirming its vital importance for Emery.
and fully justifies the decision to give him a new contract.
Konsa impressively recorded an impressive 97% passing accuracy, over 50 touches, 100 long balls scored, 100% successful tackles, 2 clearances, 6 clearances and 100 wins % in ground duels with outstanding defensive form and confidence before goal.
Shy Chelsea [SofaScore]
Villa’s forward line has performed poorly so far, contributing to an increasingly porous and shifty defense, something that happened against Legia Warsaw last week and in defeats to Newcastle United and Liverpool before the agreement international truce.
While Mauricio Pochettino’s timid and stuttering Chelsea team may not have provided the crucial test that Konsa and Pau Torres needed to correct those flaws at the back, they still came through with flying colors.
flying high, Chelsea certainly had some chances to open the scoring and score.
However, Konsa was once again instrumental in keeping this clean sheet and continually proved that he is a stylish presence at the heart of this new Villa backline.
He and Torres could prove to be the perfect pair and one of the best in the Premier League in Mings’ absence
Konsa is indeed an indispensable part of Emery’s long-term plans.