John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 9 and 8s awarded after 2-1 win over Burnley

John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after the victory over Burnley in the Premier League

Aston Villa secured their fourth successive victory in all competitions with a 2-1 win over Burnley at Villa Park.

Donyell Malen bagged a brace, opening the scoring in the first half with an excellent finish after being sent through on goal by Boubacar Kamara, before doubling his tally by firing past the former Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka again, this time in front of the Holte End.

Lesley Ugochukwu then halved the deficit in the 78th minute, rising highest from a corner to head past Emi Martinez.

Malen was one of four changes Unai Emery made from the side that beat Feyenoord on Thursday night, with Martinez, Lucas Digne, and Lamare Bogarde also coming into the starting XI.

Villa started on the front foot and won a couple of early corners within the opening 10 minutes. Both of Digne’s deliveries caused problems for Burnley: Malen flicked the first cross on at the near post but found no takers, before Dubravka made a smart stop to deny Ezri Konsa’s header from the second set-piece.

Konsa’s chance came shortly after he made an important block following a save by Martinez, who denied Quilindschy Hartman inside the box — though the offside flag was about to be raised.

Malen remained a threat even before his goal, linking up well with Morgan Rogers on the left. Rogers’ shot, however, deflected just wide of the far post.

In the 25th minute, Malen broke the deadlock. He latched onto Kamara’s defence-splitting pass, held off Maxime Estève, and slotted past Dubravka.

Burnley’s first real chance came 10 minutes later. Josh Cullen fired towards goal from the edge of the box after Villa failed to clear a long throw, but Martinez — fit to start despite a recent calf injury — got down quickly to tip the effort wide.

Villa nearly doubled their lead before half-time. Rogers’ appeals for a penalty were waved away after a tussle with Axel Tuanzebe, and moments later he cut the ball back for Malen, only for Estève to get there first. Rogers then overhit a final ball intended for Ollie Watkins.

In stoppage time, Watkins missed a golden chance to score in successive league matches. John McGinn found him in space inside the box, but the striker blazed over from close range.

Rogers was again involved in Villa’s first big chance of the second half. Watkins was initially denied before Dubravka rushed out to block Rogers’ follow-up effort.

Soon after, Rogers laid the ball off for Malen, who doubled his and Villa’s tally by drilling the ball across Dubravka, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

Villa were unable to secure what would have been their third clean sheet in four matches, as Ugochukwu headed Hartman’s corner past Martinez.

Villa are now unbeaten in their last 17 Premier League matches against newly promoted sides, a run dating back to a 3-0 defeat to Fulham in October 2022.

Following the international break, Villa will return to Premier League action at Tottenham on Sunday, October 19.

Player ratings

Emi Martinez Martinez overcame a calf problem to start this afternoon. He made a strong save to deny Hartman in the box early in the first half, unaware that the offside flag was about to be raised. Beaten too easily by Ugochukwu, however, as Burnley halved their deficit. 6

Matty Cash Cash was asked to play high and wide for the most part, but he defended well too. The right-back operated effectively in tight pockets and used the ball intelligently. 7

Ezri Konsa Konsa came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute when he headed Digne's corner at goal, but Dubravka saved well. That chance came just moments after he made a key block in the box, although the Burnley attack was subsequently flagged offside. 7

Pau Torres Torres’ ball progression was superb, as usual. He was strong in his duels and composed in possession. 7

Lucas Digne Digne delivered Villa's first two chances from corners, demonstrating his quality from set-pieces. He was booked in the 53rd minute for a late tackle on Loum Tchaouna. 7

Boubacar Kamara Kamara set Malen up with a precise ball through the middle of the pitch, allowing the forward to finish clinically past Dubravka. Top display again. 8

Lamare Bogarde Bogarde is always willing to receive the ball under pressure and is often safe in possession. He played in a back three when Villa had the ball but also showed attacking intent, driving forward into the final third before being fouled by Foster, who was booked. Brilliant today. 8

John McGinn McGinn made his 250th league appearance for Villa this afternoon. While he had more license to advance forward, he often operated alongside Kamara as Bogarde dropped into defence. 7

Donyell Malen

Malen scored his first two goals of the season, both taken with precision. For his opener, he held off a Burnley defender before finishing confidently after being played in by Kamara. His second was a lethal strike across Dubravka, set up by Rogers. Starting in a more central role, Malen was a constant threat throughout the match. 9*

Morgan Rogers

Rogers was man-marked by Josh Laurent for much of the game but still found pockets of space to link up with teammates. He used the ball well, maneuvering past opposition players before offloading to Kamara, who spotted Malen’s run for Villa's opener. Earlier in the first half, he saw a deflected shot drop just wide of the far post. Rogers was heavily involved in Villa’s most dangerous attacks. 7

Ollie Watkins

Watkins missed a big chance to double Villa's lead before the break. McGinn found him inside the box following some neat play from Rogers, but the striker blazed over the bar from close range. 6

SUBS

Evann Guessand (for Watkins, 66'): Asked questions of Hartman after coming on. Positive and confident. 7

Emi Buendia (for McGinn, 66'): Unfortunately came off late in the match after taking a blow to the head. 6

Ross Barkley (for Malen, 84'): N/A

Victor Lindelof (for Cash, 84'): N/A

Amadou Onana (for Bogarde, 90'): N/A

Ian Maatsen (for Buendia, 90'): N/A

Subs not used: Bizot, Elliott, Jimoh.

GOALS

Aston Villa: Malen (25', 63')

Burnley: Ugochukwu (78')

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