At some grounds, when their side is losing 0-2 around the 70th minute, the crowd would start streaming out. Especially when both goals were presented to the opposition on a plate. But wait, a little fellow is sitting on the bench who might just make a difference. He comes on just after the opposition were given their second goal, and decides to play a cameo of some grace, out of which come two goals from some lovely football both times.
You couldn't write a script for what happened in this match. In the first 30 minutes United had exactly the right game plan against a Villa side without McGinn, and with Sanson still short of playing practise. And a new left-back.
United fired on all cylinders from the start and took the early lead in the most freak-ish sort of way, and with the perpetrator being Villa's usually totally reliable keeper, the feeling crept up my spine that it was not going to be the Villa's day. And the feeling was enforced at half-time when Konsa was not able to continue. This meant we then had two left-footed centre-backs on the field, and one of them looked rusty from the start of the re-commencement. But his mates gave the ball to him a few times and he started to get into the match. Indeed, he sprayed a couple of 30-yard passes that were worthy of a midfielder.
In fact, Villa played the second half reminiscent of the same half in the Cup match that these two sides played a few days ago. The Villa were on top. However, this time there was yet another lapse and the concession of a second goal.
Enter the maestro.
From the time he came onto the pitch Villa started playing some real football, with Beundia and Jacob Ramsay sensing that they had found a soulmate. Chucky then replaces Ings and Ramsay scores a peach of a goal after some lovely movement. United were at sixes and sevens, and not for the first time this season.
The Holte End loved it. In front of them there was a vista to behold.
Then Ramsey - with his non-stop engine by this time revving up and getting into a higher gear - slips in on the left, again after good football, and looks up. He sees the Villa's new signing coming in on goal and Ramsey produces another peach of a ball to give the newcomer his golden opportunity to become a hero! It's 2-2 and the ground erupts!
Sadly, there was no Villa win to make it an unusual double win over United this season, but in the end it was very close. What is more - a statistic that seemed totally unlikely in the first 30 minutes - Villa had 55% possession in the whole match and produced the same number of shots as United.
I declare, dear fellow Villans, that we have a side in the making here. And, I have to say, in the company of the likes of his merry companions B and C, Ramsey is just going to get better. One goal and one assist he produced in this match. And he cost the club nothing.
Up The Villa! And now to make Everton get stuck in their toffee!
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