Aston Villa v Southampton ratings: Mings 8, Ramsey 7; Diallo 4, Bella-Kotchap 7

Steven Gerrard's team register hard-fought win as Premier League resumes

ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez - 6. A first clean sheet of the season for Martinez, which was made slightly easier by not having to face a single shot on target. PA

Ashley Young - 7. Young made his first start since April and he was one of Villa’s brightest performers, getting the ball forward effectively from right-back. Getty

Ezri Konsa - 7. A strong performance at the heart of the defence for Villa. Konsa was often in the right place at the right time to clear his lines and prevent Southampton from getting the ball into dangerous areas. Reuters

Tyrone Mings - 8. The defender is in good form, and he was consistent once again, winning everything on the floor and in the air with an aggressive approach that didn’t allow Southampton a sniff. PA

Lucas Digne - 7. After a slow start, in which he was outpaced by Djenepo at one point, Digne recovered to win his battles, and make a crucial intervention to deny a dangerous run from Walker-Peters. Solid. PA

Jacob Ramsey - 7. Didn’t finish the game, but ultimately did enough in his 67 minutes to win the match. He was energetic throughout, and his was first to react as Bazunu and Salisu failed to clear the ball following Watkins’ saved header. Getty

Boubacar Kamara - 5. Was forced off the field through injury before the half-time break. Until that point, he’d proved effective stopping Southampton getting too close to Villa’s goal. Getty

John McGinn - 8. The Scot was out of the blocks quickly and was everywhere, though at times he was guilty of giving cheap fouls away. However, he was one of the driving forces in the win… constantly demanding more from his teammates. PA

Leon Bailey - 6. Bailey worked hard and diligent when it came to tracking back, but his final ball was often found wanting. Getty

Philippe Coutinho - 7. The Brazilian was in sparkling form, his flicks and tricks lifting a flat Villa crowd. It was from his cross that Villa opened the scoring, and he had a couple of chances to find the net himself. Fizzled out as the game went on. Getty

Ollie Watkins - 6. Came close to heading Villa into the lead, but his effort led to Ramsey converting on the rebound. Cut a lone figure for much of the game. Getty

SUBS: Douglas Luiz (Kamara, 44') - 6. Slotted in well following the injury to Kamara and came close to scoring from a corner. Getty

Leander Dendoncker (Ramsey, 67') - 6. Made his Villa debut and added some solidity on the right of the men in the middle. PA

Emiliano Buendia (Bailey, 67') - 6. Was effective winning the ball back and tried his best to keep Villa moving forward when the game was lacking momentum. Danny Ings (Coutinho, 84') N/A . Reuters

SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Gavin Bazunu - 5. Generally did well when called upon, but made a bit too much of Watkins’ header, saving acrobatically, which enabled Ramsey to slot home. Getty

Kyle Walker-Peters - 4. Always looked better going forward than defending his own goal. He made one or two dangerous bursts towards Villa’s box, but couldn’t impact when there. AFP

Armel Bella-Kotchap - 7. Arguably the pick of the Saints defenders, the German international dealt well with most things thrown at him. Getty

Mohammed Salisu - 6. Failed to clear his line in the build-up to Villa’s goal, but beyond that did well to block shots and win his aerial battles. Reuters

Romain Perraud - 5. Was taken off at half-time following a heavy challenge from L,eon Bailey. Found himself in a good position from Salisu’s long throw but couldn’t connect. EPA

Ibrahima Diallo - 4. Another player substituted at half-time, but this time not because of injury. His distribution was poor throughout and, like his teammates, he failed to find any rhythm. Reuters

James Ward-Prowse - 4. The influential midfielder had a quiet night, and was largely anonymous throughout. Not the best way to celebrate his recent England call-up. PA

Mohamed Elyounoussi - 4. Another player who was wasteful in possession. The 28-year-old didn’t manage to get the ball forward effectively or keep hold of the ball. AP

Moussa Djenepo - 5. Looked lively on his move forward into midfield but after having battled well with Digne before the break, he was a lot less effective in the second half. PA

Adam Armstrong - 3. Had very little service all evening. He worked hard to chase down Villa’s defenders, but looked a bit out of his depth. Reuters

Che Adams - 5. It was a thankless evening for Adams, the focal point of the Saints attack. He did his best to hold the ball up, but had very little service or support. AP

SUBS: Juan Larios (Perraud, 46') - 6. Was forced onto the back foot by Villa’s dominance but was one of the few Saints players to get his foot on the ball and use it effectively. AP

Joe Aribo (Diallo, 46') - 5. Tidy on the ball but another player who was forced to play deeper as the second half went on. PA

Stuart Armstrong (Adam Armstrong, 71') - N/A. Made his presence felt but couldn’t really impact the game. Getty

Sekou Mara (Adams, 71') - N/A. Had a half chance with his head soon after coming on, but didn’t trouble Martinez. Samuel Edozie (Elyounoussi, 79') N/A. Reuters

Jacob Ramsey netted his first goal of the season to give Aston Villa an unconvincing 1-0 home win over Southampton in the Premier League on Friday that eased the pressure on manager Steven Gerrard.

Ahead of kick-off at Villa Park, there was a minute's silence followed by the national anthem in a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. There was also applause from fans in the 70th minute to mark the monarch's 70 years on the throne.

Desperate for a win after collecting four points from their first six games, Villa started positively. Philippe Coutinho wasted two good chances before Ramsey broke the deadlock.

The 21-year-old midfielder struck in the 41st minute, pouncing on a rebound and firing the ball off the underside of the crossbar.

Villa’s performance was workmanlike and far from fluid, in reality doing little to ease long-term fears of the team’s direction in the league under Gerrard. Fourth from the bottom at kickoff, Villa had won just one of their previous 10 league games and did little to suggest they would improve that record for the majority of the first half.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above.