John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery’s side beat Coventry City in the Carabao Cup third round
21:54, 16 Sep 2026Updated 21:56, 16 Sep 2026
Ross Barkley scored Aston Villa’s second
Aston Villa secured their passage to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup by beating Coventry City 3-1 at the CBS Arena.
Tammy Abraham opened the scoring, before Victor Torp bent in a stunning free-kick later in the first half. But Villa went into the break in the lead when Ross Barkley headed in Ibrahim Mbaye’s corner in the 40th minute.
Abraham then bagged his brace on the hour mark to take the tie away from the Sky Blues.
It took just seven minutes for Villa to open the scoring, with George Hemmings rolling the ball into Abraham’s stride with the outside of his boot before the striker finished past Dan Bentley.
Matteo Ruggeri’s goal-bound effort on his full debut was blocked inside the box in the 17th minute, before Coventry got back on level terms through Torp’s set-piece, which came after Barkley was penalised for a foul outside the box.
Barkley made amends by scoring from the corner he had won, with Bentley tipping his first effort around the post before the midfielder headed in Mbaye’s delivery.
Unai Emery made seven changes to his starting XI and was forced into another alteration at half-time, with goalkeeper Marco Bizot dealing with discomfort and being replaced by Zion Suzuki.
Before Emery sent on Johan Manzambi and Emi Buendia, Abraham added a third for Villa by turning in from close range as Villa scored from another set-piece, this time taken by McGinn.
Villa will now turn their attention back to Premier League duties, as they target a first league win of the season at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Aston Villa’s George Hemmings
Player ratings
Marco Bizot
There was nothing Bizot could do to stop Torp’s free-kick from bending in. The ‘keeper was replaced at half-time after suffering an injury in the first period. 6
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wan-Bissaka was a little loose at times in possession and was booked shortly before half-time for getting involved with Hamer after blocking the midfielder from taking a quick free-kick. 6
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Eager to impress on his debut, Harwood-Bellis was solid alongside Tyrone Mings. After seeing his header saved by Bentley at one end, he managed to get back into shape at the other, stopping Coventry’s progress outside the box. He then made two important blocks around the half-hour mark. 7
Tyrone Mings
Mings was too casual when trying to flick the ball to Ruggeri in the 30th minute while playing out from the back. It would have gone unpunished had Bogarde not cleared the danger. 6
Matteo Ruggeri
Ruggeri created Villa’s first chance, crossing into the box early on, but McGinn couldn’t quite get there. He was unlucky not to double Villa’s lead in the 17th minute when his shot was blocked. 7
Lamare Bogarde
Bogarde made a sloppy attempt at a clearance in the first half, allowing Torp to take aim and narrowly miss the far post from the edge of the box. He did clear the ball and spare Mings’ blushes later in the first period by knocking it out for a corner. 6
Ross Barkley
After nearly giving the ball away in a dangerous position earlier in the first half, Barkley was penalised for a foul after losing possession just outside the box in the 26th minute. Torp then equalised from the resulting free-kick. Barkley restored Villa’s lead by heading past Bentley at the front post, having won the set-piece himself and called the ‘keeper into action just beforehand. 6
Ibrahim Mbaye
Mbaye played off the right wing today and looked confident when he received possession. He stretched the Coventry defence constantly, with his runs causing problems for the opposition every time. He had a low drive saved in the 37th minute and grabbed an assist for Barkley’s goal. Very encouraging performance from the 18-year-old. 8
John McGinn
McGinn should have scored in the 34th minute but dragged his effort wide of the front post. He crossed for Harwood-Bellis earlier in the first half and drove Villa up the pitch on a number of occasions. His in-swinging corner led to Abraham’s second of the night. 8
George Hemmings
Hemmings grabbed an assist for Villa’s opener, spotting Abraham’s run in behind. It was a lovely ball with the outside of his right foot. The teenager was also effective in tight spaces. He switched to the right wing after the hour mark. 7
Tammy Abraham of Aston Villa celebrates scoring
Tammy Abraham
Abraham needed that first goal, and he took it like he was on a purple patch, coolly dispatching past Bentley. He linked play much better than in previous games, too, and bagged his second by turning in McGinn’s corner. 9
SUBS
Zion Suzuki (for Bizot, HT): Suzuki wasn’t expecting to play tonight, but it was needs must after Bizot signalled that he had picked up an injury. Solid half for the Japan international. 7
Emi Buendia (for Mbaye, 64’): Buendia played from the left, with Manzambi moving into the middle. 6
Johan Manzambi (for McGinn, 64’): Great to see Manzambi get more minutes in his legs and time to combine with his new teammates. 6
Nicolas Jackson (for Abraham, 68’): Bentley was behind his deflected effort just a few minutes after he came on for Tammy. 6
Alysson (for Hemmings, 80′): N/A
Subs not used: Suzuki, Cash, Lindelof, Kamara, Garnacho.
GOALS
Coventry City: Torp (27′)
Aston Villa: Abraham (7′, 59), Barkley (40′)
What did you make of Villa’s performance? Tell us here