Aston Villa claimed a 3-0 win over Swiss outfit Young Boys, and Morgan Rogers had a blinder as the Villains got their UEFA Champions League campaign off to an excellent start.
Rogers put in an energetic shift, popping up all across the frontline to pick up the ball and create danger. The 22-year-old was at the heart of everything positive/exciting Villa were doing.
Rogers had 55 touches of the ball, played four key passes and completed four of five attempted dribbles, proving a menace for the tentative Young Boys backline.
The England youth international also put himself about, contesting in 16 duels while winning seven. He had a lively performance and was a shout for man-of-the-match.
His excellence on the night unsurprisingly caught the attention of several watchers and pundits, with Pat Nevin hailing him.
“Some brilliant performances, Rogers fantastic,” Nevin said (via the BBC) after the game. The former Middlesbrough starlet has begun to find his feet at the club and only needs to add more end product to grow into the player Villa fans hope he can be.
It wasn’t only Rogers who had a terrific outing. The team made a statement with their performance.
“I hope people don’t underestimate it (Aston Villa’s result), Nevin said. “It’s a tough place to come. You need to have the right attitude, and you need to be clever about it. (Jhon) Duran made a difference, (Ollie) Watkins looked sharp, and (Jacob) Ramsey as well. (Amadou) Onana, what a goal.
“All the way through the team, you are thinking, well done. A very grown-up and mature performance all around.”
From the point where Youri Tielemans opened the scoring early on, Villa were in cruise control and never relinquished their dominance. Beyond the three goals, the Villains also had another two goals disallowed.
Villa hope to carry this form into the weekend as they prepare to face Wolverhampton Wanderers. They return to the Champions League on October 2 to face Bayern Munich.
