Aston Villa 'struggle' but title challenge grows

Aston Villa achieved a 3-2 triumph against Burnley and the credit of scoring the first goal went to Leon Bailey.

Aston Villa's recent win over Burnley indicates that they are a serious contender for the Premier League title.

Their victory against the Clarets wasn't very reassuring because it was achieved through a penalty that hit the crossbar twice and was only confirmed in the closing moments of regular play.

However, the victory was not pretty and Villa was not at their best. Nonetheless, they succeeded in obtaining three points. This type of win is important if Villa wants to keep pace in the race for the championship. Currently, they are tied with Liverpool for the lead.

Aston Villa's coach, Unai Emery, expressed the significance of their recent victory after two consecutive matches without achieving any points.

We accomplished a great deal, yet encountered some difficulties along the way. I have a great deal of admiration for Burnley as they are making a significant impact with their efforts.

A thrilling game took place where the home team had the advantage three times. This led to Douglas Luiz taking a penalty after Jhon Duran was tripped by Aaron Ramsey, who used to play for Villa's academy, but now plays for Burnley since summer.

Luiz's penalty was quite disorganized, as he took a very long time to start his run towards the ball. When he finally took the shot, it struck the crossbar, took a strange bounce on the goal line, and hit the crossbar for a second time. Eventually, it went past the goalkeeper James Trafford and into the net.

The end of the game was quite eventful as Burnley was not able to take the lead in the first half due to a very close offside call. Later on, Villa did take the lead in the first half following a similar close call. Sander Berge received two yellow cards which could have been avoided, causing the visitors to be down to only 10 players.

If Aston Villa manages to achieve one of the best Premier League title victories, it will be considered a crucial achievement, despite not being their most efficient one.

"Last-minute Wins Can Be Crucial"

Emery stated that the team had to keep pushing until the very end as they were close to achieving their goals despite the obstacles of the VAR and a red card in the second half. However, they persisted and ultimately secured a penalty that led to their success.

It's crucial to win with a surge of feelings, especially when it's at the very last moment.

The victory that occurred also marks the end of an exceptional year for Emery, especially when it comes to Villa Park.

In the year 2023, Villa managed to emerge victorious in a greater number of games played at their home ground, specifically 17 games, and have accumulated a higher number of points, namely 53 points, in the Premier League than any other team.

Villa has managed to score in their latest 24 home league matches. This ongoing streak marks their lengthiest run since they scored in 33 successive games, which happened between May of 1982 and December of 1983.

At the moment, Liverpool is only ahead of Villa because of goal difference. If Liverpool doesn't win against Newcastle on New Year's Day, Villa will take the top spot if they win against Everton on January 14th.

Although there's still a significant distance to cover, they appear well-prepared for the battle, particularly on home turf.

Emery expressed that it's extremely challenging but they are pleased to be putting up a good fight. They feel empowered when they play at their home stadium with the backing of their supporters.

Villa Beats Leicester Target

Villa hasn't had such a favorable situation after playing 20 games in a Premier League season since January 8, 1999 - when they were at the top of the leaderboard. However, after this, they went on a streak of not winning for 10 matches and ultimately settled for sixth place in the standings.

The teachings of the past, along with the underwhelming games during the recent Christmas season, ought to stop all members associated with Villa from becoming too enthusiastic.

Villa could have finished 2023 on a low note, having failed to secure a victory in three consecutive games. Prior to this match, they settled for a draw against the last-place team Sheffield United, and suffered a loss to Manchester United despite initially having a two-goal advantage.

However, Villa is managing to stay ahead of the more well-known teams nearby through a combination of fortunate circumstances, talent, and determination.

Additionally, they are still further in advance than Leicester City was during their memorable championship victory in the season of 2015-16.

Leicester was in second place after 20 games played, however, they only had 40 points because they were tied when playing at home against Bournemouth. Aston Villa, on the other hand, has two more points than Leicester, thanks to the penalty goal they scored towards the end of their game.

Although it may not be aesthetically pleasing, Villa is content to win in an unattractive manner as long as they continue to gather points.