Jay Bothroyd has suggested that he was amazed by how ‘unbelievable’ one Aston Villa player was against Arsenal on Sunday.

Aston Villa fans have every right to still be enjoying what happened at the weekend. Villa strengthened their grip on a top-four place in the Premier League, with Unai Emery coming back to haunt his former club for a second time this season.

Villa not only beat Arsenal 2-0 with two late goals, but they outplayed them for large parts of the game, particularly in the second-half.

And there were so many brilliant displays.

Jay Bothroyd says Aston Villa player was unbelievable against Arsenal

Gary Neville was full of praise for Diego Carlos, while Ollie Watkins did amazingly to double the visitors’ lead after coming close on a couple of occasions.

But it was the performance of another Villa player who caught the eye of Jay Bothroyd, with the former striker telling The Optus Sport Football Podcast that he was so impressed by Nicolo Zaniolo.

“I tell you what was really good as well, Zaniolo, he hasn’t played of late. But he came in and he was unbelievable,” he said.

“He was unbelievable. He tracked back, he made it difficult for Saka to get on the ball. When the ball was played to him, he looked after it well. He took care of it. He was effective in the attacking positions.”

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A turning point for Nicolo Zaniolo

It has not been the easiest season for Zaniolo. The Italy international arrived after the season had already begun as the Villans looked to secure cover for Emiliano Buendia.

He has only shown glimpses of his quality for Villa. And thus, it is surely fair to say that Sunday saw by far his best performance for the club.

Ben White has been one of the best right-backs in the Premier League this year. And yet, he really struggled up against Zaniolo.

Villa fans will hope that that proves to be a real turning point for the 24-year-old, particularly if his time at Villa Park extends beyond this season.