'I'm not usually a fan of stats' - Aston Villa star plays down rare feat in Crystal Palace draw
Villa defender Victor Lindelof played down his performance despite achieving a rare statistical feat in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.
Lindelof completed all 85 of his passes at Selhurst Park, recording the best accuracy for a Premier League player in nearly four years.
But the humble Sweden international, who helped Villa record their first clean sheet in nine matches, later admitted to being something of a stat sceptic.
Lindelof told Premier League Productions: “Usually, I am not a big fan of stats like that.
“I think you have to look at what kind of passes I made as well. But when you say it was 100 per cent, it sounds good!
“I always want to perform and help the team. If the manager thinks I am doing a good job, that’s always a good thing.
“I like to play from the back, with the ball and I think that is one of my strengths I can bring to the team.”
Lindelof, a deadline day free agent signing, has proven an astute signing with the former Manchester United ace starting the last seven matches after both Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres were ruled out through injury.
Wednesday night was only the second of those matches Villa have failed to win and the 31-year-old admitted to some disappointment after Emery’s team missed the chance to go outright second in the Premier League table.
“I thought we controlled the game well in the first half,” he said. “They (Palace) came on in the second half and had a few chances as well.
“Overall, it was an OK performance from us. We wanted to score and get the win but it’s a tough place to come.
“They are a good team and defended well. Overall it was OK.”
Asked about Villa not being awarded a penalty when Youri Tielemans appeared to be pulled down in the box, Lindelof said: "I have not seen the situation. It’s hard for me to say anything.
"We also had a few chances to score and I think if we were calmer in the final third we could have scored."
Despite the draw, Villa have already racked up more points after 21 matches than they had after 28 last season and hold a 10-point cushion over fifth-placed Brentford in the race for Champions League football.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence,” said Lindelof. “We know we have good players in the team and we go into every single game knowing we can beat the opponent.
“The most important thing for us is to keep going, keep taking it one match at a time and see where we end up.
“But we have a strong belief in ourselves, in the structure and the way we play and the way the manager wants us to play.”
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