Steven Gerrard hails Jacob Ramsey impact
Steven Gerrard saluted Jacob Ramsey after the midfielder’s stunning solo goal set Villa on their way to victory at Norwich.
Ramsey raced from the halfway line before firing home in the 34th minute for his second Premier League goal.
Ollie Watkins then netted late to seal the points as Gerrard earned a win over his Villa Park predecessor, Dean Smith, the man who gave Ramsey his debut as a teenager three years ago.
Gerrard said: “Jacob has been outstanding. He is obviously a big talent and that is the reason Dean gave him a chance before I came in.
“His consistency levels have been top, his standards in training are high and I think there is room to grow and improve as well, which is the exciting thing.
“It is my job to keep challenging him. If he keeps performing to that level it is exciting for Villa fans, that is for sure.”
Villa dominated for long periods but had to wait until the 87th minute until Ramsey made the points safe.
Gerrard said: “The plan was to try and finish the game early and find that second goal earlier. While it is at 1-0 there is always a danger there will be an incident or something which does not go in your favour.
“I thought the performance deserved a strong away win. In the first half we were outstanding. In the second half we performed well in parts and lost our way in parts.
“But the week has been challenging away from here, losing staff members and players. We only had one training session heading into this game. It was a really strong performance.”
