Super, Super and Superlative!

From the goalkeeper to the two strikers upfront, the Aston Villa performance today was one of superlative and well-knit teamwork. Every player did his job, was exactly the right bolt size and put in the same, calm, mental and physical work.

The only drawback was that Villa had three gilt-edged chances to be leading before centre-back Hause showed his attackers how to finish with a wonderfully-contrived header. Did they, the players concerned that missed the chances, have nerves that they might actually score at Old Trafford?

Today's Villa performance was surely an indicator that the coaching at Villa Park must now be at an equally superlative level, providing the answer to every nuance on the problem of Aston Villa's poor history at the Reds' ground, and against Man U in general.

Villa's defence was virtually 100% watertight, the midfield moved as though it had been oiled with the best olives, and the two-prong attack strove with all their well-honed skills, though not - yet again - scoring. Well, just to keep them awake in that respect, young Archer came on late - all of a quiver! - to reward him for all his good work in the League Cup this season,

If we wondered why Hause had not been given a proper chance in the League this season after some storming games in the last campaign and at Chelsea on Wednesday, surely he cannot be left out yet again next week? 

I doubt that Tuanzebe - had he played - would have played better than Hause, whose only deficiency for me is his slowness in distribution on occasions. And he also scored his fourth goal for Villa - not a bad record for a defender with limited playing chances. Konsa, in contrast, just can't seem to get his headers on goal.

What was ironic was that Hause was adjudged to have handballed within a minute or two after his goal, a decision that would never have been made in the old days. Hause did not have time to think when it hit him. But justice was done when their erstwhile remarkable penalty-taker blasted high and wide deep into injury time.

Well, the writers were getting ready to write-off Dean Smith's future at Villa Park a couple of games ago. Now those writers have to find something else to write about!

The Villa is on the way up! No doubt about it.

UTV!

Sharp shooters? We've Got 'Em!

Kerpow! Five blistering goals in five matches by five different players seem to be the main reason for the hope that Villa will finish high this season. I can well imagine a certain colourful Villa supporter and video commentator in Canada raising a glass of Bailey's!

McGinn, Ings, Beundia, and now Cash and Bailey have shown they know where the goal is in no uncertain style and now, after weeks of not having a full squad available to him, Dean Smith can perhaps begin to relax a little that it might just all be starting to come together. Already the hatchet writers were sharpening their quill pens while waiting to see if Smith's team were going to drop a lot more points over the next 3 weeks. But at least - against high-flying Everton - the Villa have started on the right foot in facing up to this tough group of matches.

Yes, it's going to be tough up in Ronaldo country next week, but I can see the Villa making a real fight of it.

As to yesterday's match, there were things about the Villa in the first hour that gave me some hope, but there were so many times when attacks broke down because the final pass just wasn't aimed quite right, and we only had Mings's fine header to look back on as a near goal.

Then McGinn had to go off, and despite his valuable industry I actually thought that Villa looked more smooth with the combined midfield probing of Luiz and Ramsey. Luiz, further forward, looks as though he could be very valuable. I just wish he would shoot more often, as he did in his earlier days at Villa Park. But it was his sublime slide-rule pass, well anticipated by Cash, that brought the house down with the first goal.

And then there was a not-so rum-do with Bailey's clever corner finding its way into the Everton net off their skipper's head. And, wow, what a third goal to then seal off a 10-minute spell of bombardment of the Toffees' goal. Even Ramsey cleverly got the ball off a defender and looked all the world as though he was going to score his first goal. That really would have been a treat.

Watkins and Ings? Yet again, no goals coming from either in their second match together. But they made themselves so valuable in all the other work they did in leading the attack. And Ings's well-delivered ball to Bailey was key to the third goal.

Defence-wise, Villa looked fairly comfortable after a worrying first 20 minutes, but the fact that Everton had key attacking players out did help.

Bring on The Reds!

UTV!