Aston Villa secured yet another three points under Unai Emery with a 1-0 victory against Southampton this afternoon in what was a game that saw three goals, yet only one eventually stood and that turned out to be the winner for Villa.

The first half saw Villa dominate proceedings, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough despite having a 71% share of possession and taking nine shots, as it was the Saints who found themselves ahead, albeit temporarily, as Lyanco was ruled offside.

A drone stopped play for around ten minutes however the referee soon brought the players back out and in the second half and James Ward-Prowse looked like he opened the scoring, yet it was disallowed due to a foul on Jacob Ramsey in the build-up.

Not long after, Ollie Watkins rose and headed a Douglas Luiz free kick past Gavin Bazunu and the Midlands side claimed another crucial victory.

There were a few solid performances, with Ashley Young outstanding at right-back winning 80% of his duels, while Watkins scored the winner, however, it was Ramsey who was Emery’s unsung hero during the match.

“Special”

The 21-year-old was making just his second Premier League start since November following his return from injury, however, his performance today was almost as if he’d never been missing, so effective at protecting the defence when required while also trying to create chances for his teammates.

Against the Saints he achieved a Sofascore rating of 7.6/10, ranking him as the club’s second-best performer behind Young, while he was constantly looking to get involved in the match, taking 70 touches overall.

His passing was also excellent, recording an 86% pass success rate while making two key passes during the match and he was also keen on trying to grab a goal, having two shots on target during the encounter.

Defensively is where he showed his true worth however, as the midfielder won 11 duels, made two clearances, one interception, and a staggering seven tackles, ensuring his side kept a clean sheet.

Ramsey – dubbed a “special talent” by Sam Tabuteau – is clearly enjoying his football under the Spaniard and he looks set to play a key part for Villa over the next couple of months – with this performance sure to make him one of the first names on the team sheet for their next match.