It’s fair to say the 2023 Villa vintage has been decidedly up and down – from the euphoria of a 5-star performance against Spurs to the dire end of the Stevenage game in one fell swoop.
And only a middling draw against local rivals Wolves in between. Knowing what to expect against a high tempo Leeds side on Friday night at Villa Park was always a difficult to call – especially given recent history between the sides.
Much has been said and written all week about the Villa Park atmosphere – partly in reaction to the Stevenage game but also a general comment on a perceived lack of engagement from the fans at times. It’s a tricky one as often Villa haven’t reached the heights on the pitch to illicit that atmosphere and response. Against Leeds, it felt as if Villa fans felt they had a point to prove, and all four sides of the ground were noisy and electric from the off, illustrating a commitment to this side and their manager Unai Emery.
It helped that Villa flew out of the blocks. From a Leeds corner in the third minute Villa broke through two of the game’s outstanding performers Ashley Young and Boubacar Kamara. The latter’s surge and slotted ball to Leon Bailey allowed the Jamaican to set himself and curl the ball into the top corner. A wonderful finish that saw Villa Park erupt in a wave of catharsis for Bailey after some stark misses in the previous two games.
After early leads – again from Bailey goals – against Brentford and United at home Villa had really kicked on and drove home the advantage. This was a different proposition, and despite the goals the home side failed to gain a foothold continually surrendering possession to Leeds who hassled and harried at every opportunity. At times in the first half, it was difficult to believe Villa were either the home side or were 1-0 up.
Jack Harrison was at the heart of much of Leeds’ good work, but a combination of Villa’s defensive resoluteness and some errant finishing meant they couldn’t take advantage. A driving run from Harrison freed Rodrygo who despite rounding Emi Martinez couldn’t beat a superb sliding clearance from Alex Moreno who had replaced the injured Lucas Digne for his Villa debut. Martinez then pulled off a point blank save from Harrison to maintain Villa’s advantage – a stop reminiscent of his work for Argentina in the World Cup Final. What was striking after both incidents was the clear togetherness of the players who wildly congratulated one another and demonstrated a pleasing desire to maintain that upper hand.
The second half saw Villa gain more control in midfield as Kamara and Douglas Luiz continued their impressive form under Emery. As a combination, they are going to take some beating. After 64 minutes Bailey again cut inside to test Meslier and Emi Buendia – who had been largely anonymous for the preceding hour – was on hand to head in. Villa Park was treated to one of the strange sights of modern football as VAR curtailed the celebrations only to re-ignite them moments later when the Argentinian was confirmed as being onside.
Inevitably, a late Patrick Bamford goal made for a nervy finish but this Villa – marshalled by Emery off the pitch and the Kamara / Luiz axis on it – were relatively comfortable as they saw out 6 minutes of added time. Obviously, there was a sense of a knife edge between ecstasy and despair, but the game management and control were exemplary.
Ultimately three points and another tentative step in the right direction. Emery has taken 13 points out of a possible 18 which has transformed Villa’s season and cannot be bettered by any other side in the same period. As a Villa fan of some time, I cannot regularly recall beating sides when not playing particularly well – what we are seeing now is the green shoots of a real change of culture and mindset inside B6. Enjoy the ride.
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AUTHOR | IVAN MCDOUALL
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Ivan McDouall | UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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