Aston Villa rescued a point in a 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday, as Douglas Luiz struck late to earn a share of the spoils at the Gtech Community Stadium.
As we expected heading into the encounter with Thomas Frank’s side, it was always going to be a difficult game given their strong home form, desire to climb the Premier League table and to close the gap on us.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Brentford: Luiz rescues point in battling draw
While we weren’t at our best, Brentford certainly made it difficult for us, and having conceded that all-important first goal, there was concern that our impressive run was under real threat.
However, Luiz’s late goal secured a point for us, and we now head into the Fulham game on Tuesday night looking to get back to winning ways and to continue our pursuit of European football for next season.
Villa show great character to rescue point
It was a resilient performance from Villa, as although we weren’t able to find our rhythm and quality in the attacking phase, we defended well and made key interventions to stay in the game.
However, it was a major blow to concede with around 30 minutes to go, and as we continued to come under pressure, our backs were very much up against wall.
Nevertheless, we produced another sign of a competitive and top-level side with our ability to show character and desire to the end, and we were eventually able to not only grab an equaliser, but then threaten to win it too. We’ll have our bad days, and so it’s great to see us grind out a result and provide a response when needed.
Unbeaten run extended, momentum maintained
That’s now nine unbeaten in the Premier League, and although we dropped points at a critical stage of the campaign which gives the likes of Liverpool and Brighton the opportunity to leapfrog us, it’s important we keep our own momentum going.
A defeat at Brentford would have been deflating and it could have knocked us, but instead, our ability to get a result will lift the players again and keep our momentum going.
It’s important we not only build off that against Fulham on Tuesday, but that we also learn where we need to improve to get back to the level of performance we’ve seen in recent weeks and impose ourselves more consistently, regardless of the opposition and atmosphere.
Premier League record set
That’s now 19 Premier League games under Emery that Villa have scored in, which is the longest streak in the league by a club under a new manager.
Admittedly, it looked in real doubt in this one, but we kept our composure and found a way, and it’s such an impressive statistic, particularly given our struggles earlier in the campaign with the same group of players.
Having the confidence that we will find a way to score in every game will be huge for the players, and if we continue to defend resolutely, it puts us in a strong position to keep getting positive results.
Emery happy, but will want to return to control of games
The Villa boss insisted after the game that he was happy with the players for securing a point, as his pre-match expectation of this being a hugely difficult game ultimately materialised.
Emery warned that this would be a serious test for us given Brentford’s home form and how impressed he is with how Frank sets his side up, but that ability to predict what to expect didn’t make it any easier.
While he’ll be pleased to have taken something from the game, with his incredibly high standards and demands, Emery will want to see us control the game on Tuesday and learn how to deal with difficult opposition more effectively.
Emi Martinez relief
It felt like a potentially big moment in the game when news came through that Emiliano Martinez wouldn’t be coming back out for the second half.
Not only had he been superb in the first half, but his experience and leadership at the back is fundamental to our overall defensive displays.
However, with Emery confirming after the game that it was a stomach bug that forced him off, it was a relief that it wasn’t an injury that could have sidelined him for longer, and so it’s hoped that he’s available to start against Fulham in midweek.
Robin Olsen is experienced and Emery has consistently backed him publicly to come in and do a job if needed, but there is no replacing what Martinez brings to the side.