Matt Maher's Aston Villa ratings v Middlesbrough: Sixes and sevens as Villa progress

Emi Martinez 7

Had just one save to make in the match but Villa needed him to be assured with his handling in the second half as the hosts pushed.

Matty Cash 7

Did his defensive duties well and though his final ball wasn’t always the best, he was the man who found the winner with some help.

Ezri Konsa 7

The player who played more minutes than any other in 2023 began the new year with a typically-assured performance.

Clement Lenglet 6

Solid on the ball and pushed forward so far at times he was almost a second left-back. Lack of pace a concern.

Alex Moreno 6

Got into some great positions but the final ball too often let him down. Missed a glorious chance to open the scoring.

Leon Bailey 6

Looked dangerous when he got on the ball in space but it didn’t happen enough. Needed more support from his team-mates.

Leander Dendoncker 6

Didn’t play badly by any means, but the fair question was whether he should have been playing in this kind of game at all.

Boubacar Kamara 8

Showed what Villa had been missing during his absence with a busy performance, regularly mopping up in front of the back four.

Jacob Ramsey 6

Continues to show signs of getting back to his best form. Carried the ball well at times, but the final ball is still lacking.

John McGinn 6

Denied a goal by a fine Glover save. Buzzed around, but you never really felt he quite had a grip on the game. Subbed in the second half.

Jhon Duran 6

Forced Glover into two first-half saves, but struggled to make much of an impression at other times. Another start in which he failed to fully convince.

Substitutes

Douglas Luiz 6 (for Dendoncker, 69), Moussa Diaby 6 (for Bailey, 69), Nicolo Zaniolo 6 (for McGinn, 69), Ollie Watkins 6 (for Duran, 69) Subs not used: Carlos, Iroegbunam, Proctor (gk), Marschall (gk).