Just as it seemed as though Aston Villa were on course for victory over Bournemouth, a last-gasp equaliser silenced Villa Park as the visitors departed with a dramatic point.
Despite dominating for large periods and forcing Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers into multiple top saves, Villa eventually found a breakthrough as Ross Barkley came off the bench to put us ahead.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Bournemouth: Disappointment after last-gasp equaliser
However, rather uncharacteristically of us in more recent times, we lost our way in the latter stages as Bournemouth pushed for an equaliser, and they found one deep into injury time as we were frustratingly denied another important win.
Our unbeaten run across all competitions remains intact, but there will be disappointment that we weren’t able to hold out for more this weekend after a costly late lapse.
Harsh lesson for Villa, must learn from experience
Having grown accustomed to Villa winning more games than not, there was almost a sense of inevitability after we scored that we had just found the all-important breakthrough to go on and secure all three points.
That confidence started to dissipate as we lost our composure and Bournemouth continued to threaten, and then came the feeling of being left stunned by conceding a late equaliser and dropping points.
Villa have been so professional and clinical in our approach under Emery that this was an almost uncharacteristic setback, but it’s a setback nonetheless, and it’s important that we learn from the experience and ensure that it isn’t repeated in future as it’s a sign of a top side if we can ruthlessly see out games and continue to make winning a habit.
Emery praised our performance up until the last 10 minutes, but he conceded that we didn’t control that crucial late period well enough and subsequently we were punished.
Unwanted pattern emerges after European games
After struggling in our goalless draw with Man Utd after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Emery noted that it was a point he emphasised this week that we must deal with the schedule more effectively and show even more energy after a tough week.
We did that successfully for the most part as we enjoyed good spells throughout against Bournemouth, and ultimately should have won the game, and so it was an improvement on that drab draw with United.
However, whether it was a lapse in concentration, fatigue setting in or a combination of both, we have to be careful that we don’t allow this trend to continue to develop in league games that directly follow midweek European outings.
Emery’s substitutions make big impact once again
From Ian Maatsen’s cross to Leon Bailey’s knockdown and Barkley converting the chance to break the deadlock, it was a masterclass in Emery making key changes that directly impacted the game and made a decisive difference.
Our strength in depth on the bench now is a joy to look at, and it should have made a winning contribution in this game rather than being left feeling disappointed after dropping points.
Nevertheless, Emery continues to make in-game tweaks that show his coaching class, while the players coming on are having a positive influence and doing their job. It’s hoped that continues as it will ultimately make all the difference as the season progresses.
Ramsey continuing to get back to his best
While others struggled a little in this one, Jacob Ramsey was excellent as he was a constant threat that Bournemouth had to deal with.
Given the way both teams were set up, the Villa midfielder was able to expose the space in the attacking third and drive into dangerous areas to help us create openings, from which we needed to be more clinical to put the game away.
Nevertheless, it was another example of his positional awareness and tactical smarts that allowed Ramsey to put on a top display, and along with Morgan Rogers, the challenge for them now is to be more decisive and ruthless with their end product to ensure we punish teams when the gameplan is working so well.
Great moment for Barkley
It was wonderful to see Barkley get on the scoresheet in his second spell with us, and to do so in front of the Holte End would have delighted him.
The Villa midfielder has been pushing for a more prominent role so far this season as he’s had to sit behind Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana in the pecking order for the most part, and so this decisive impact will be key in making an impression on Emery.
Barkley will likely get the nod to start next week against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, and it’s hoped that he can go from strength to strength off the back of this goal to continue to make an impact when called upon.
