Soccer Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Aston Villa - London Stadium, London, Britain - March 12, 2023 Aston Villa's Leon Bailey before the match REUTERS/Tony Obrien EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece criticised Leon Bailey for his ‘clumsy’ challenge which led to West Ham’s equaliser on Sunday afternoon.
The Lowdown: Point in London
Unai Emery‘s side had to settle for a point at the London Stadium after Said Benrahma cancelled out Ollie Watkins’ opener in the first half.
The result sees Villa move on to 35 points after 27 Premier League games, seven points off Liverpool in fifth place. Villa are also now unbeaten in their last three top-flight fixtures, conceding for the first time since the 4-2 defeat to Arsenal last month.
The Latest: Preece’s post
Bailey was the man who fouled Lucas Paqueta inside the area following a corner which resulted in Benrahma levelling the scores from the spot.
Preece took to Twitter during the game to provide live updates for supporters, with the Villa reporter describing the Jamaican’s challenge as ‘clumsy’.
The Verdict: Performance to forget
As per SofaScore, Bailey was the worst-rated player from either side at the London Stadium, ending with a match rating of 6.1/10 before being taken off after 64 minutes for Bertrand Traore.
The 25-year-old lost 75% of his duels and had just 28 touches of the ball, giving away possession on seven occasions. He also failed to register a shot on target, so his return to the starting XI wasn’t one to remember.
Emery may well decide to take him back out of the side following this display, especially with Traore making a positive impact during his cameo appearance, ending with a match rating of 6.8/10.
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