Speaking on Carabao Cup on Quest after last nights Semi-Final between Leicester City and Aston Villa, former Villa manager Martin O’Neill praised their defensive display, particularly Tyrone Mings, whose performance earned him the Man of the Match trophy.
With ten clearances and two blocks, Mings was at the centre of an impressive defensive display for Aston Villa as they earned a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.
"I thought goalkeeper Orjan Nyland was outstanding,” O’Neill said speaking on Carabao Cup on Quest. “But as a goalkeeper you need someone in front of you to perform brilliantly in these games and that’s exactly what Tyrone Mings did all evening.
"He was excellent from start to finish. There were a number of occasions when Leicester were threatening; shots were goal-bound and he was in the way, he came in and cut off crosses, made several important clearances and it was just an excellent evening for him. As a consequence I think the rest of the Aston Villa men around him rose to the occasion.
"They got their bodies in front when it was important, particularly at big moments where Leicester could have scored, so overall defensively Aston Villa were very strong, particularly Tyrone Mings."
The second leg of the Semi- Final will be played at Villa Park on Tuesday 28 January (7.45pm KO) as Aston Villa look for League Cup success for the first time since 1996.