George Boateng hailed a complete performance from Aston Villa Under-23s after they demolished Stoke City 8-0 on Monday night.
Four goals in each half made for an emphatic victory away from home in Premier League 2, sending the Young Lions to the top of the table.
After some inconsistent displays to start the season, U23s assistant coach Boateng was happy to see the side put together a dominant showing from start to finish.
He said: “We spoke to the players before the game about how the season has gone so far. We talked about playing well in halves.
“In the game against Nottingham Forest, the first half wasn’t great, but the second half was outstanding. We had similar issues in the West Brom game when we started well but didn’t finish so great.
“We spoke about managing the game over 90 minutes with a good performance. That’s the first time we’ve played over 90 minutes when the lads, physically, technically and tactically, were all at it and spot on throughout the whole game.”
The Chukwuemeka brothers, Carney and Caleb, grabbed a brace each on an impressive night for Villa, with the latter having netted six times in five PL2 games this term.
Caleb joined his younger brother at the club in August after completing a move from Northampton Town, and Boateng is pleased with how he’s settled into life at Villa.
“When he first came, everyone knew about his brother Carney, and it’s always going to be a case of whether he can reach the same heights," he said.
“You should never compare them because they’re two different players in different positions. He’s certainly settled in well and he’s scoring goals.
“We’re working with him on being more clinical in front of goal and being better at linking up. He’s picking up the messages and I was happy to see him get his goals against Stoke.”
