By Graham Hill
VILLA boss Dean Smith reckons John McGinn is playing so well at the moment it is like there are two of him on the pitch!
McGinn produced a powerhouse display in midfield as 10-man Villa came from behind to beat Rotherham and boost their hopes of making the play-offs.
It was Villa’s seventh win in a row and sets them up nicely for Saturday’s clash with top six rivals Bristol City.
Jack Grealish grabbed a superb winner after Jonathan Kodjia grabbed his first goal since December from the game’s third penalty.
But it was McGinn who caught the attention with a work-rate that helped Villa shrug off the fact that they played much of the game with 10 men.
Smith told BBC WM: “That’s a big win for us. One of the toughest games we’ve had. To perform like that with 10 men was totally about desire.
“John McGinn was so good I thought there were two of him which evened it out a bit, Jack Grealish came up with the winning goal and both Jonathan Kodjia and Mile Jedinak came on and did well.
“I couldn’t understand some of the decisions but I’d rather talk about my players, who were magnificent, especially in the second half.
“With the spirit and togetherness we showed, we could have scored more.”
Rotherham boss Paul Warne hailed Smith’s half-time team talk which saw a different Villa side after the break.
He also felt the decision to send off defender Tyrone Mings for handball – when Rotherham had already won a penalty – was too much.
Warne said: “Their manager gave them a rallying call and they came out flying after the break. We had a few near misses but we just didn’t get to the heights we did in the first half.
“Them going down to 10 men didn’t actually help us. And their lad was unlucky to go off for handball. That was a bit extreme for me.”
Villa Roar 