Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was delighted with captain John McGinn after their 2-0 win at Chelsea.
Ollie Watkins struck first at Stamford Bridge, latching on to Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella's backwards header to lob home, before McGinn's second-half drive put the game out of reach for the home side.
Emery later said: "On the pitch and in the dressing room he is a very important player.
"Every day he is smiling, he works hard, he is competitive. His commitment is amazing. He understands everything we ask of him tactically, and he deserves the performances he is producing.
"At half time we discussed that sometimes you have to struggle before you can score, to be mentally clever to know that sometimes that is the way you win. We spoke about how we could better and manage their attacks, which I think we managed to do well in the second half."
