Aston Villa secured their first win since returning to the Premier League, with Wesley getting off the mark for his new club.
Jamie Carragher suggested during Sky Sports’ live coverage of Aston Villa’s win over Everton (broadcast on 23/8 from 19:00) that it was an easy decision to name Wesley as the man of the match, insisting the striker bullied the visiting defenders during the 2-0 victory.
Dean Smith’s men are off the mark following their return to the Premier League, and Wesley is off the mark for his new club having arrived for £22 million during the summer transfer window (fee reported by Sky Sports).
The Brazilian had faced criticism after the first two games of the new campaign, but he was outstanding against the Toffees. He bagged the opening goal after making a fantastic run and latching onto a delicious pass from Jota, and caused problems all evening as Villa looked to frustrate Marco Silva’s men before punishing them with lightning-quick counter attacks.
And when asked to name his man of the match as the game reached its conclusion, Carragher insisted that Wesley deserved the accolade having been harshly judged by his critics after the previous two games.
“Probably the best player on the pitch, easy decision for me,” he told Sky Sports. “There were questions about him coming into this game off the back of two games in the Premier League, which I thought was harsh.
“You want to get off the mark, but it’s his all-round play, his hold-up play, bringing people into the game. At times, he’s bullied Everton’s centre-backs, certainly Michael Keane who he’s been up against more often than not.”
The goal and the overall performance should certainly give the striker a huge boost of confidence. It is easy to forget that he is only 22 years of age, and the pressure has increased because Smith is not blessed with a large group of attacking options with Wesley proving to be the only striker addition made this past summer.
The midfield and wide-men that featured against Everton seemed to have scarcely-believable amounts of energy, so when the ball did head up to Wesley, they were often within touching distance of the striker and offering genuine options in just a few moments. And with that understanding building already, it will not be a surprise to see a number of teams struggle to deal with Villa’s attacking intensity over the course of the campaign.
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