Emery must now unleash 8/10 Aston Villa star

Aston Villa reached the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, overcoming a potential banana skin against League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 away from home. It was a professional performance from the Villans, who now go into the hat for the next round, to be drawn on Wednesday night.

Unai Emery’s side did not actually take the lead until the second half, with Wycombe making life tough for the Villans in the first 45 minutes. However, Emiliano Bunedia, in his first start after picking up an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023, gave the Premier League outfit the lead.

Jhon Duran, irresistible as ever, got himself on the scoresheet 30 minutes after Buendia’s opener. The Columbian, who has five goals this season, scored from the penalty spot to double Villa’s lead.

The hosts managed to pull back a late goal in the 95th minute through Richard Kone. However, it was too late for the League One side, and Villa made it safely through to the next round.

There were certainly some standout performers against the Chairboys, with Villa’s quality unsurprisingly shining through. One player who was particularly impressive was Amadou Onana.

Onana’s stats vs. Wycombe

Belgian international midfielder Onana has been in superb form for Villa this term, and worked hard in the hour he played at Adams Park. The former Everton midfielder has already scored three times for his new club, in just seven appearances.

It was something of a surprise that the Belgian started against the third-tier outfit on Tuesday. Emery has selected him from the start in all of Villa’s games so far this season, and the trip to Adams Park presented him with a chance to rotate.

With that being said, Onana did start and was unsurprisingly impressive throughout the hour he spent on the pitch. He received a 7/10 post-match rating from John Townley of Birmingham Live. He noted that, whilst the Belgian ‘is a few levels above’ the Wycombe side, ‘they did their best to limit’ his impact on the game.

Onana’s Sofascore stats suggest he was busy throughout his night’s work. He had 60 touches of the ball, and completed 46 from 54 attempted passes, with a pass accuracy of 85%. The midfielder also completed two interceptions and won one duel.

It was a steady performance from Onana, who continues his good start to life at Villa Park. However, he was perhaps not the standout player on the night, with Bunedia also performing well against Wycombe.

Bunedia’s stats vs. Wycombe

It has been a long road to recovery for Buendia since he ruptured his ACL a little over one year ago. It is fair to say that the Argentine’s first start since his injury went superbly. Not only did he skipper the Villans on the night, but also managed to get on the scoresheet.

It was a smart finish from the former Norwich City midfielder, who leapt highest inside the penalty box to meet a deflected ball that ricocheted off the defender. He looped his header over Franco Ravizzoli in the Wycombe goal to give his side the lead.

It was a performance that earned him an 8/10 rating from Townley following the game. The journalist praised him for how well he ‘linked the midfield and attack’, crediting him for a ‘brilliant header’.

Indeed, his stats on Sofascore also reflected such an impressive performance. The Argentine had 48 touches against Wycombe, completing 85% of his passes and creating one chance. Off the ball, he worked hard, winning seven from 13 duels and his only tackle.

It was no doubt a performance that would have pleased both Buendia and Emery, given the length of his injury. It may put him in line for his first Premier League start since the 2022/23 campaign, ahead of Villa’s next outing against Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon.

It would not be unsurprising to see Emery unleash him in the top-flight next.