It’s been a memorable week for Aston Villa, and it was capped off with an impressive 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday.
Goals from Morgan Rogers, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey ensured we came from behind to secure all three points against the Cherries, a result that moves us six points clear in fourth place in the Premier League standings.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s crucial win vs Bournemouth
That in turn puts the pressure on rivals Tottenham to respond next week and close the gap with their games in hand, but it’s a fundamental result from our perspective to follow up our progression in the Europa Conference League in midweek as well as our win at Arsenal last weekend.
Focus will switch to Chelsea this week as we look to take another big step towards Champions League qualification, but first comes a well-earned rest for all concerned after a heavy workload in recent weeks.
Resilient, determined Villa get the job done
It has been a gruelling week or so for the Villa squad, as they’ve put so much into recent results to ensure we’re still chasing two major objectives this season.
There was widespread concern going into Sunday’s contest over what we had left in the tank after what we’d put into overcoming Lille on Thursday, but the players dug deep, showed resiliency and determination to get the three points.
It says a lot about not only their physical levels in terms of what Emery oversees in training and how he manages their fitness and workload, but also their mentality and the way we play now that allows us to compete at this level consistently week in and week out.
Goals, goals goals lead to record points tally
Villa have now scored 71 goals in the Premier League so far this season, our joint most in a single campaign in the top flight, and with four games remaining, we’re set to break that tally and put up a new record.
While we haven’t always convinced defensively this season, our system, structure and style of play has led to a brilliant brand of football that is both exciting and effective.
Our movement and passing was swift for our goals on Sunday, with key individuals playing incisive passes to cut through Bournemouth. Whether it was Pau Torres, Bailey or Ollie Watkins, this Villa team has been a wonderful watch this year and with 66 points on the board, it’s the highest single-season points tally in club history over a 38-game campaign already.
Watkins unplayable as he continues to lead our charge
That’s now 19 goals and 12 assists in 33 Premier League games so far this season, as Watkins continues to fire us towards Champions League football next season.
The Villa frontman was disappointed following the full-time whistle that he couldn’t get on the scoresheet himself, but with two excellent assists, he was once again decisive in the final third.
Coupled with his work ethic and movement, he is fundamental to how Villa play and approach games under Emery, but this decisiveness and clinical edge to his play has been a joy to watch this season.
Rogers justifies Emery praise with another top display
Emery was keen to praise Rogers in midweek given how well he’s settled in since his January arrival, but the Villa boss was also keen to challenge the 21-year-old to improve even further in the remainder of this campaign.
He responded with another positive display as he was influential in our general play to hurt Bournemouth in the final third, but he also added an end product to that too with his well-taken finish to bring us level at 1-1.
With each passing game, it’s becoming clearer as to why Emery was so keen to land his signature in January, as the former Middlesbrough ace looks at home in this Villa side in terms of his understanding of the tactical demands put on him by the Spaniard, and he continues to show more consistency.
Villa apply pressure on Tottenham to respond
We often hear pundits debate whether it’s better to be setting the pace or doing the hunting, but in our situation, it’s arguably better to have the points on the board rather than looking to games in hand.
Spurs still have to play Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool, and although we have tough games of our own, opening up a six-point lead over them only adds more pressure to respond and keep up the pace.
As with every weekend now it seems, it’s another big one next week as Villa host Chelsea on Saturday night while Tottenham have the North London Derby the following day, and so it could be huge if we extend that lead to nine points before they return to action.
