Ipswich Town 2-2 Aston Villa Player Ratings: Delap’s stunning double pegs back the Villans

Aston Villa were denied three points by Ipswich Town after a 2-2 draw in a thrilling Premier League encounter. The hosts got off to a dream start after their star striker Liam Delap opened their account inside eight minutes but only for the Villans to equalise a few minutes later. Jacob Greaves made a terrible clearance, with Morgan Rogers pouncing on it before finding the back of the net.

The visitors took the lead for the first time in the game following Ollie Watkins’ leaping header off Leon Bailey’s cross. While Unai Emery’s men thought there was another three points on the cards, Ipswich upped their ante in the final quarter. Delap scored an outstanding solo goal in the 72nd minute, leaving defender Diego Carlos behind his trail, to throw a spanner in Villa’s works. 

Ipswich Town Player Ratings vs Aston Villa

Goalkeeper

Arijanet Muric: 5/10- Muric was left high and dry by his defenders for Villa’s both goals.

Defenders

Leif Davis: 7/10 – One of the best players of Ipswich Town, Davis was a constant threat to Villa with his crossing and passes into the final third. Could have added two assists were it not for the misses from Delap and Clarke. 

Jacob Greaves: 5/10 Made one huge mistake by gifting the possession to Morgan Rogers in the lead up to Villa’s equaliser.  

Dara O’Shea: 6/10 – Couldn’t do anything with the two goals but O’Shea was a colossus in the defence. Won 6/6 ground duels.

Axel Tuanzebe: 4/10 – Tuanzebe should have done better in holding Jacob Ramsey in the lead up to the equaliser. Was also caught off guard by Watkins’ jumping header.

Midfielders

Sam Morsy: 6/10 – One of the busiest players on the pitch, always tried to make things happen. 

Kalvin Phillips: 7/10 – A great performance from the English midfielder. Deserves the credit for his pre-assist to Delap’s opener. Defensively robust as well, winning all of his ground duels. Forced a great save from Dibu Martinez.

Omari Hutchinson: 6/10 – Picked up the ball in Villa’s half before setting up Delap’s brilliant solo goal for the equaliser. Improved vastly in the latter stages.

Attackers

Jack Clarke: 7/10 – Made his presence felt very early in the game with a beautiful cut-back assist to Delap from a tight angle. Nearly scored but fired his header wide. A brilliant performance on the whole.

Chiedozie Ogbene: 5/10 – Ogbene hardly made his presence felt 

Liam Delap: 9/10: A man-of-the-match performance from Delap, who single-handedly thwarted Villa what they would have thought an easy three points. Whether his link-up play by dropping deep or his striker’s instincts, Delap was a class apart. His second goal took the case after he bamboozled Carlos with a drop of the shoulders.

Substitutes

Wes Burns 6/10- A great impact as a substitute. Had his shot denied by a last-ditch tackle from Pau Torres

Jack Taylor: N/A

Massime Luongo: N/A

George Hirst: N/A

Manager

Kieran McKenna: 7/10: Although a win was missing, McKenna would be proud of his player’s efforts. His substitutions and a little tweak in the tactics allowed Ipswich to raise the bar and secure a hard-fought draw.

Aston Villa Player Ratings vs Ipswich Town

Goalkeeper

Emiliano Martinez: 6/10 – Made a mess of his save for the first goal but weren’t for his phenomenal saves, Villa’s night could have turned worse.

Defenders

Pau Torres: 7/10 – At his usual best with his passing and made a last-ditch tackle against Burns, who was through on goal

Diego Carlos: 3/10 – Made a mess of his first touch in the defence that precipitated Ipswich’s opening goal. Was left in the dust by Delap for the equaliser to cap off a catastrophic performance.

Lucas Digne: 5/10 – The French left-back hardly made an impact in the game

Ezri Konsa: 4/10 – Konsa’s performance as a right-back left a lot to be desired. Was caught by Ipswich’s counter-attack for their equaliser. 

Midfielders

Youri Tielemans: 7/10 – The Belgian’s fine nick of form continued with another great display. Made a game-high 18 passes into the final third, 5 recoveries and won 5 duels.

Amadou Onana: 4/10 – Onana was a bit sloppy in the possession but made a few crucial defensive actions

Morgan Rogers: 8/10 – Rogers continued his rich vein of form with a top-class strike. His exchange with Watkins for the strike was also excellent.

Attackers

Leon Bailey: 7/10 Started the game quietly until he delivered a stunning cross with his weak foot to set up Watkins, catching off guard  the entire Ipswich back-line 

Jacob Ramsey: 5/10 – An off-colour outing from Ramsey, whose performance at the left-wing position didn’t pan out well.

Ollie Watkins: 9/10 – An outstanding performance which was unfortunately overshadowed by the draw. Set up Rogers’ opener before scoring a leaping header. Watkins continues to prove he belongs to the top-tier list.

Substitutes

Emi Buendia: 2/10 – Completely botched his free-kick effort

Jhon Duran: 5/10 – Made a few interventions and created a decent impact off the bench

Ross Barley: N/A

Jadon Philogene: N/A

Ian Maatsen: N/A

Manager

Unai Emery: 5/10 – Emery would have had the top four spot in his sights but he was rightfully paid for Villa’s complacent display. He was also a way wide off the mark with his substitutions.

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