Coventry City 1-3 Aston Villa: Player Ratings as Abraham, Mbaye & Barkley Steal the Show

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COVENTRY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Ross Barkley of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammates during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Coventry City and Aston Villa at The Coventry Building Society Arena on September 16, 2026 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Coventry City hosted Aston Villa this Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Coventry Building Society Arena for the third round of the EFL Cup. Here are the player ratings for both sides.

Although Aston Villa did not need to play a previous match to qualify for this stage, Coventry did. Frank Lampard’s side defeated Plymouth 4-2 on Aug. 25, earning their passage to the third round of the Cup thanks to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi, Jack Rudoni, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp.

That said, Coventry were going through a concerning moment domestically, especially in the Premier League, after losing 5-0 to Brighton on Sept. 13 in their last match. Coventry currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League table, having earned no points and a disastrous record of four defeats in their four league matches.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, were also not going through a good moment, as Unai Emery’s team were coming off a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sept. 12 in the most recent Premier League matchday, although on Sept. 8 they defeated Club Brugge 3-2 in the opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. They secured the win with goals from John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and Nicolás Jackson.

Villa currently sit 19th, just one place above Coventry in the Premier League, with one point from four matches and a record of one draw and three defeats.

Coventry City vs. Aston Villa: Player Ratings

We have to give the MVP to Tammy Abraham for his brace, but other players like Ross Barkley also had a very good match. Specifically, the 32-year-old Englishman scored a goal and provided an assist, and he also completed the most passes in the match, recording 65.

What’s Next for Coventry City and Aston Villa?

Following this third-round Carabao Cup match, Coventry City will prepare to visit Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sept. 19 for the fifth matchweek of the Premier League.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, will also prepare for an away match on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face Roberto De Zerbi’s team in the fifth matchweek of the Premier League.