Aston Villa slumped to their second consecutive Premier League defeat this afternoon against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as the home side secured a vital 1-0 win at Molineux.

Unai Emery would have been hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Manchester United last weekend, but despite a few chances throughout the tie, resolute defending by Wolves proved to be the difference.

Several Villa players simply didn’t show up. Bertrand Traore started the match with hopes of scoring his third league goal in his last six matches, yet he was hooked at half-time after winning just two duels, succeeding with zero dribbles and delivering one accurate cross in what was a poor display.

There was one shining light for the Spaniard, however, with Emiliano Buendia demonstrating just how important he could be to the club heading into next season, with an excellent performance that should ensure he starts the next match.

How did Emiliano Buendia perform for Aston Villa against Wolves?

The Argentinian was tasked with leading the line alongside Ollie Watkins against the Old Gold, and despite Villa coming up short and failing to score for the second match in a row, he was lively throughout.

He took five shots in total (although just one was on target), while he also caused the opposition defence havoc by succeeding with all four of his dribble attempts.

Buendia took 45 touches during his spell on the pitch, suggesting he was keen on making things happen for his team, making two key passes in the process.

The £75k-per-week star also shone defensively too, clearly proving there are more aspects to his game than just creating chances and scoring as he won 75% of his total duels, including seven from nine ground duels, and it looked as though no Wolves' player could regularly get the better of him.

Journalist Gregg Evans was among those impressed by his performance, particularly in the first half, praising him for his build-up play before Watkins missed a chance.

He said: “Brilliant from Buendia in the build-up. He's a real handful today.”

Although a real handful and Villa’s “most creative player” on the day according to Evans, he couldn’t quite grab a goal or set up a teammate that could have secured a vital point during the dying embers of the game.

Even so, Emery will be hoping the same Buendia turns up against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.