Reliable Reserves:

Dean Smith made 11 changes to his starting Xi which faced off against Sheffield United in the Premier League on Monday night and achieved the same result - a much needed win in the Carabao Cup.

The game allowed for some much-needed game time for the likes of Henri Lansbury, Neil Taylor and Anwar El Ghazi - all of which must use cup competitions and training to impress and hopefully breach into the Premier League matchday squads.

Young Blood:

Great Barr born youngster Jacob Ramsey made his second competitive start for Villa after impressing Smith against Burton Albion in the last round.

Ramsey's general play was very impressive, the young midfielders desire to be on the ball shone through as he often glided forward in possession. He even managed to assist debutant Bertrand Traore, with a wonderful ball played over the Bristol City defence. 

As Villa continue to advance in the competition - Ramsey will look to relish every opportunity that comes his way as he looks to establish himself as a valued member in the Villa squad. 

Debut Delight:

Bertrand Traore's maiden voyage as a Villa player couldn't have gone any better, scoring a wonderful volley with his weaker right foot to beat Bristol's Max O'Leary in between the sticks. 

Apart from the goal, Traore's general play was very impressive on his debut. The winger looked extremely lively and linked up nicely with full-back Frederic Guilbert when the Frenchman overlapped his teammate.

With Traore being an inverted winger, it allowed for some nice interplay seeing Traore coming inside the fullback with the ball, then laying the ball back out wide to Guilbert. 

Forward Focal Points:

Keinan Davis lead the line to begin with and did so with skill and maturity, after signing a new deal with the club keeping Davis at B6 till 2024; he put in a wholehearted performance which earned him an assist for Villa's opening goal of the game.

A wonderful bit of skill saw him breach the Bristol backline, only for Keinan to stay composed and set up El Ghazi to put Villa 1-0 up early on. 

Keinan wasn't without chances of his own, as the striker was denied from close range following an impressive passage of play from Guilbert.

Ollie Watkins' presence up-front was noticeable as soon as he stepped foot on the pitch, with his first touch instigating a move he would then go onto finishing at the back post to make it 3-0. 

Both Keinan and Ollie lead the line well for Villa, often finding space between the defenders and latching onto long balls from the defence very well. Smith has a lot to be happy with from his two forwards. 

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