Graham Potter made 4 changes before the 70th minute, but by far the most important one was Conor Gallagher coming on.
There were various shufflings to try and compensate for the absence of Reece James, but none of them were really convincing. 3 players were used at right wing back through the game, but none brought us any balance or any decent outlet out wide.
The addition of Gallagher in the middle – and often really high up the pitch pressing – finally gave some spark to the team, and in the final stages it was him, pressing Villa’s defenders and even harrying Emi Martinez in goal.
After a rocky start to the season, he’s really earning his stripes as the weeks pass, and his performances since Graham Potter took over have really impressed. The new coach must surely be considering him a key player going forward after another bright showing from the bench.
More must-reads: