Coutinho continues to baffle Barca fans with tremendous Villa performances
FT Desk
- 10 Mar 2022 15:37 CST
- 3 min read
Aston Villa fans were once again singing the name of Philippe Coutinho on Thursday night as the Brazilian midfielder opened the scoring for his side in a 3-0 win over Leeds United in the Premier League.
In a match that many Villa fans may have feared would be a tricky encounter, following Leeds’ decision to bring in a new manager in the form of Jesse Marsch, Coutinho was on hand to calm any nerves with a decisive goal just 22 minutes into the game.
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After picking up the ball from Matty Cash, the on-loan Barca star managed to get a shot away inside the Leeds box and watched it deflect off a nearby defender and into the back of the net.
Goals from Cash and then Calum Chambers in the second half would confirm all three points for Villa on the night, but to the delight of the travelling support it was another outstanding performance from their January signing.
No Premier League midfielder has contributed to more goals than Philippe Coutinho since he made his Aston Villa debut 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/GL1IRjPMwE
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 10, 2022
Seven goals and assists in eight games
Indeed, while the midfielder raised a number of eyebrows in January when he agreed to draw a line under his time at the Camp Nou with a return to the Premier League, Coutinho has proved his doubters wrong by not only hitting the ground running in the English top flight but by absolutely thriving in Steven Gerrard’s side.
Of course, the 29-year-old playmaker made an immediate impression with his new club when he came on as a substitute for his debut against Manchester United and scored a goal to help Villa claim an important point.
Philippe Coutinho since joining Aston Villa on loan:
4—⚽
3—🅰️ pic.twitter.com/JxGzH5jGRE— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 10, 2022
Then, just a few weeks later, Coutinho bagged a goal and two assists to ensure Gerrard’s side picked up another important point in their 3-3 draw with Leeds United.
Although the Brazilian was unable to add to his tally in the following three games, last Saturday’s performance against Southampton meant that Coutinho had managed three goals and three assists from his first seven games for Villa.
As such, Thursday night’s impressive performance now means that the Brazil international has now bagged seven goals and assists in just eight games for the club.
