Aston Villa came from behind to beat Nigel Pearson’s Watford in dramatic fashion thanks to Tyrone Mings’ stoppage-time winner. Dean Smith’s side trailed to a goal from Troy Deeney but after Douglas Luiz finished at the far post a deflection off of the 6ft 4in defender’s boot sparked wild celebrations in the Holte End.
However, fans took to social media to praise the display of Marvelous Nakamba, who received a rather solid rating of 6.83 (as per WhoScored) for his efforts against the Hornets.
The 26-year-old, who is valued at £9million (as per Transfermarkt), was in fine form with many hailing it as his best display in Villa colours to date.
One fan even compared him to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and, perhaps based on his most recent performance, it might not be difficult to see. According to WhoScored’s data, Nakamba achieved a total of two tackles and two clearances last night. Kante’s averages appear rather similar as well, having managed an average of 2.2 tackles and 1.3 clearances in 16 Premier League appearances.
Has Nakamba proven himself worthy of a regular starting place?
Yes
No
Nobody can ever tell me that nakamba isn’t good enough again
Motm tonight #AVFC— Aston?? (@knight_aston) January 21, 2020
marvellous you could say…
— Pam (@EarwigLLe) January 21, 2020
Was class today ?
— Steven Clarke (@stev1eclarke) January 21, 2020
Possibly his best game for us so far
— Silver Arrows Villan (@Ossie12Simon) January 21, 2020
I thought it was kante tbf to you
— Elmo (@27eImx) January 21, 2020
I said this about Nakamba last night, unreal display..finally!
— Leigh Allen (@LeighAV_88) January 22, 2020
He was terrific!!
— earlygrey (@earlygreyAVFC) January 21, 2020
What do we think?
The midfielder signed from Club Brugge in the summer for a reported fee of £10.8m (via Transfermarkt.co.uk) and has made 16 appearances in the Premier League for Dean Smith’s team up until now. However, in the eyes of many of the faithful last night, it appears he finally announced himself as a Villa player on Tuesday night having made a vital contribution to a hugely significant victory, which could just get things moving in the right direction as they look to avoid relegation.