Despite the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser, Aston Villa picked up an important point against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.
Jacob Ramsey’s first-half goal gave us a deserved lead as we made a positive start to the game, and that came after Ollie Watkins missed from the penalty spot.
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While we had to hang on under long spells of heavy pressure in the second half, it appeared as though we were potentially set to hold out, but Roberto Firmino’s late equaliser denied us all three points as we now head into the final weekend of the Premier League campaign with Europe in our own hands.
Ultimately, beat Brighton and we’re in the Europa Conference League next season. Time will tell if a Europa League place is still in play by then as the Seagulls play their two games in hand, but Villa have the advantage over Tottenham for seventh spot now and it remains to be seen if we can finish off the season in style.
Emery proud of his Villa players and rightly so
Emery spoke after the game about his pride given the effort and performance from the players, and that was deserved as we put in an incredible shift against world-class opposition in a difficult atmosphere.
Villa were composed and committed to our game-plan to play around their high press in the first half, and while of course there were nervous moments, we implemented it successfully for the most part.
As expected, the pressure grew in the second half as Liverpool threw everything forward, and although we eventually conceded, to hold on for a point was a big sign of progression.
Jacob Ramsey marks 100th Villa appearance with goal
It was 100 up in a Villa shirt for Ramsey on Saturday as the 21-year-old continues to establish himself as a fundamental figure in the side and a massive part of our future.
Aside from his tireless defensive work and his ability to break forward with power and speed on the ball, his composed, controlled finish to break the deadlock was superb.
There’s a lot more to come from Ramsey, and having now settled into a position and role under Emery, it’s hoped that the Spaniard can continue to develop his game.
Mings a huge presence at the back
While it was a shame that he lost Firmino for the goal, Villa arguably wouldn’t even have been in that position holding on for a win in added time had it not been for the defensive performance of Tyrone Mings.
The Villa centre-half was everywhere in this one, as he was constantly in the right place to clear danger and continued to marshal the backline with our successful high line and offside trap.
He’ll be frustrated with the goal, but his physical presence, aerial strength, reading of the game and continuously improving ability in possession, all make him a pivotal figure in this side.
Disappointment over dropping points says it all
Earlier in the season we were nowhere near capable of competing with the top sides in the league, but under Emery we’ve continued to secure impressive results against them.
The fact that the overriding emotion at full-time on Saturday was one of disappointment said it all, as we showed amazing grit, determination and discipline to hold on to our lead for so long, only to let it slip at the end.
Villa have come a long, long way from where we were under Steven Gerrard, and as we continue to develop our style, pick up results in these big games against the top six and learn from the experiences, we’ll only get more comfortable and familiar to being in these situations and hopefully enjoy more success.
Showdown with Brighton, Europe in our hands
The important thing now is that we’ve got Europe in our own hands. Simply put, win against Brighton next Sunday, and we’re in the Europa Conference League next season.
Time will tell if our rivals slip up this week to keep a Europa League spot on the line as that would be a huge added bonus, but all we can do is now focus on our ‘final’ against Roberto De Zerbi’s men next weekend.
Emery and the players have all labelled it as such as they know the importance of the encounter, and with the Villa boss’s experience and pedigree in these type of games over the course of his career in Europe, it’s hoped that he has the perfect game-plan to get the result we need to end the season in perfect fashion at home.