Aston Villa player ratings v Derby: Defender gets 9/10

COMMENT By Danny Wright

Football Insider rates the performances of Aston Villa players out of 10 in their 1-0 win over Derby in the Championship on Saturday.

Sam Johnstone 6 – Still looks prone to errors, but will have his defence to thank for keeping Derby at bay for most of the game. However the Manchester United loanee did well to prevent Darren Bent from scoring a header to keep hold of the lead.

Alan Hutton 7 – Did well to set up James Chester’s goal and the full-back had a good afternoon both going forward and getting back.

James Chester 9 – Nearly scored an early header and was a constant menace in the Derby penalty area and it wasn’t a surprise when he scored the goal. The defender put in a shift at the other end of the park too, keeping Bent quiet and was a massive part in keeping a clean sheet.

Nathan Baker 7 – Player well alongside Chester to repel the Derby attacks. His defining moment came when he put his groin in the firing line of a Tom Ince shot, only to get straight back up to continue his defensive duties.

Neil Taylor 6 - Another member of a good defensive performance but didn't have as much of an influence as his teammates. Still, Taylor has had his critics since his January move from Swansea but there can be no complaints about his game today.

Leandro Bacuna 5 – Playing in the centre of the midfield is not something Bacuna is used to but he played the role well alongside Lansbury. However he ruined his day when he was shown a straight red card for appearing to headbutt the linesman.

Henri Lansbury 8 – Put some great balls into the box and looked to create a lot of problems for the visitors. The former Nottingham Forest man had a great first half but went quiet in the second. However without Lansbury's eye for a pass the Birmingham-based club would not have walked away with three points today.

Mile Jedinak 7 – The big man brought a calming influence to the Villa midfield and made the back-line a lot more confident to cope with the Derby pressure.

Andre Green 6 – Almost scored early in the second half but he hit the post. The 18-year-old didn't have a lot else to do during the game and was replaced midway through the second half.

Albert Adomah 6 – A few good deliveries into the box and definitely improved in the second half before he was taken off in the 72nd minute.

Jonathan Kodjia 5 – Pretty selfish at times and spent most of the time on the ground looking for the referee to award a foul. The former Bristol City man was pretty anonymous in the second half.

SUBS:

Jordan Amavi (on for Adomah 72mins) 6

Birkir Bjarnason (on for Green 74mins) 6

Gary Gardner (on for Kodjia 88mins) 5

In other Aston Villa news, here are three ways the club can turn around their season.

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