Heading into our trip to Bournemouth, the general consensus was that Aston Villa would have to build our hopes of a win on a strong defensive display to set the foundation.
Barring a couple of costly and painful exceptions, our defensive record has improved in recent weeks as part of a run that has seen us win seven of our last eight Premier League games to remain in the hunt for a Champions League qualification spot, and it was certainly set to be tested by a Cherries side continuing to impress under Andoni Iraola.
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Unai Emery opted to make changes to give us a more solid look, with Lucas Digne, Tyrone Mings and Amadou Onana coming back into the side, and that was undoubtedly an influential factor in our ability to keep a clean sheet and secure three important points to close the gap and apply pressure on our rivals for a top-five finish.
While every Villa player deserves credit for the work put in from a defensive perspective, three individuals arguably stood out in particular, as a trio of club stalwarts continued to deliver and reiterate their importance at a time when question marks and speculation have raised doubts over their respective futures.
Whether it was Mings leading by example and organising our backline with a disciplined display as he cleared danger on numerous occasions with his reading of the game, positional intelligence and physical presence, or Matty Cash nullifying Bournemouth’s threat down their left side with another strong defensive display.
In the dying moments of the game, the home side looked as though they might nick a damaging late equaliser, but a stunning Emiliano Martinez save, followed up by a crucial intervention from Cash, preserved our lead and got us over the line to claim three vital points.
Bournemouth’s threat from set-pieces and deliveries into the box was evidently a point of emphasis in the week leading up to the game, as Martinez was positive throughout and showed great intent to come and claim balls into the box and alleviate pressure building on his backline.
Those contributions were just as important as Ollie Watkins’ winning goal, and it was a delight to see three instrumental figures make such an important contribution to what will hopefully end up being a decisive victory in our season overall.
With Mings closing in on the final 12 months of his contract, Cash receiving a slight backlash to recent comments where he made a plea to supporters to get behind the team and transfer talk linking Martinez with a possible exit this summer, it has perhaps threatened to be an unsettling situation for three players who have been pillars of this team for some time.
However, they all had a job to do this weekend and remain committed to delivering the best performance that they’re capable of to help us achieve a key objective this year, and it’s hoped that while the off-the-pitch talking points sort themselves out with the desired outcomes, they will continue to shine on the pitch.
Having seemingly recovered from a dip in form, it’s hoped if Martinez is called upon again in our final two games, he’ll answer that call. As for Cash, he’s been excellent in our last few games now with his diligent defensive work, while Villa are unbeaten in 14 league games in which Mings has started this season.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. We can still count on our club stalwarts to deliver when needed.