90% duels lost: Villa flop who made just 17 passes let Gerrard down massively - opinion

Aston Villa were subject to their second consecutive 1-0 defeat to a side fighting relegation as they lost at home to struggling Watford on Saturday afternoon.

Emmanuel Dennis scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute, securing the visitors’ first victory in all competitions since beating Manchester United 4-1 three months ago as well as extending Villa’s form to one win in eight in all competitions.

It was the first time the Villans had failed to score in a home game this season, with Steven Gerrard’s side’s attack particularly toothless.

After last weekend’s defeat to Newcastle, the 41-year-old opted for a change at striker, swapping Ollie Watkins with Danny Ings. However, the decision failed to pay off.

According to SofaScore, the 29-year-old was Villa’s worst player, receiving a 6.3/10 rating.

The striker managed to produce three shots with one considered to be a big chance, two of which were off-target and the other blocked. Moreover, the Englishman lost 90% of his duels, winning just one.

With just 33 touches, only goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez touched the ball on fewer occasions, with Ings also losing possession seven times as well as making four fouls and passing the ball 17 times.

There was little defensive output from the striker too, with just one clearance and one interception and no tackles or blocks as well as being dribbled past once.

In what was the forward’s first start for a month, the game against Watford was certainly an opportunity for Ings to boost his status in the eyes of manager Steven Gerrard, who opted to give the 29-year-old a run out in favour of Watkins who hasn’t scored for two months.

There was a lot of expectation put onto the shoulders of the Englishman following his £25m move