Jordan Ayew was hugely impressive for Aston Villa today.
Roberto Di Matteo’s side were minutes from the three points when a quick-fire double from Ross McCormack and Rudy Gestede in the final quarter flipped the game on its head following Apostolos Vellios’s opener early in the second half.
But Aston Villa failed to hang on for what would have been just a second victory in six Championship outings, leaving them 17th in the table.
There were plenty of negatives for Villa on the day – the most glaring of which came in their conversion rate, with Di Matteo’s troops having no fewer than 26 shots comapred to Forest’s three – but one positive came in the form of Jordan Ayew.
Ayew set up both of Aston Villa’s goals, but it would be a mistake to ignore his overall contribution – and it looked vast, to be fair.
| Position | Team | Ball Recovery | Interception | Duel Won | Total Tackle | Won Tackle | Dispossessed | Touches | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Ayew | FW | Aston Villa | 9 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 83 | 1 | 90 |
The 24-year-old forward also got through his fair share of defending, and recovered possession for his side on nine occasions, while his 15 successful duels won – more than anyone else on the pitch – might indicate that he more than held his own in the physical stakes.
With 83 touches, he was clearly heavily involved, but he was only dispossessed on one occasion which may suggest that he was economic in possession – and he converted 36 of his 44 attempted passes.
He also managed two interceptions, and completed four of his six attempted tackles. The Championship is known for being quite a physical league, but Ayew seems to be more than a match for it.
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