Aston Villa 6 Brighton 1 - Player Ratings

Man-of-the-match in Villa’s last two Premier League matches but had a much easier day here. Will be annoyed at conceding.

Quiet 7

Matty Cash

Alert to keep the tricky Mitoma quiet and a threat when Villa went forward. Set up the opener with a well-timed run and cross.

Busy 8

Ezri Konsa

Villa’s Mr Cool at the back. His pass out of defence, the type he would not have attempted 12 months ago, flipped the early momentum.

Dominant 8

Pau Torres

A reassuringly solid performance in defence. Seems to be growing in confidence with every game.

Better 7

Lucas Digne

A nuisance down the left in the first half in particular. Solid in defence but at fault for the goal when he really should have cleared.

Outlet 7

John McGinn

Probably the skipper’s best performance of the season. Great pass to set up Villa’s first. Much more involved than in recent weeks.

Resurgent 8

Douglas Luiz

Became the first player since Dwight Yorke to net in five consecutive home league matches. Just a very good Premier League midfielder.

Classy 8

Boubacar Kamara

A strong performance to back up the return to form seen against Chelsea. Didn’t let Brighton get any foothold in midfield.

Presence 7

Nicolo Zaniolo

Played his part in the first half offensive but was probably the least effective of Villa’s attacking players. Some nice touches but needs to be more decisive.

Moments 6

Moussa Diaby

Caused countless problems with his pace in the first half. The only thing lacking from his performance was the final touch.

Frenetic 7

Ollie Watkins

Up there with the finest performances delivered by a Villa striker in recent memory. Scored three and was involved in all six. The definition of unplayable.

Superb 10

Substitutes

Jacob Ramsey (for Zaniolo, 56) 7, Jhon Duran (for Diaby, 79), Youri Tielemans (for Kamara, 90) Subs not used: Carlos, Traore, Chambers, Lenglet, Dendoncker, Olsen (gk).