'Watkins is key for amazing Villa - but don't count Man City out'

If someone had mentioned to me that Aston Villa could potentially lead the Premier League standings on Christmas Day, I would have found it hard to believe. Especially since they were brutally defeated 5-1 by Newcastle during the initial match of the season.

However, if Aston Villa wins over Sheffield United on Friday, a reasonable expectation considering their impressive record at home, and Liverpool only manages to draw against Arsenal on Saturday, then Unai Emery's team will be at the top of the table by the time everyone sits down to enjoy their Thanksgiving meal.

It would be a remarkable accomplishment, however, for them to secure third place right now is astonishing considering their poor start to the season, suffering a heavy loss at St James' Park and losing key defender Tyrone Mings to a severe injury on the very same day.

Participating in the Europa Conference League has required them to play numerous matches. However, they exhibited their ability to secure a favorable outcome even when exhausted, as evidenced by their defeat of Brentford.

The Villa football team didn't play at their highest level during Sunday's match, however, they managed to stay in the game despite being behind by a goal. They were able to change the outcome of the match after the Bees team had a player sent off.

Once Ben Mee got his marching orders with only 20 minutes left on the clock, they unearthed some gaps in Brentford's defense that were absent when there were still 11 players on each side. And they capitalized on those gaps flawlessly. Kudos to them for a job well done.

Emery should be commended for his impressive efforts in getting Villa to their current position in the table. However, the pressing inquiry arises as to how long they will be able to maintain this position.

What worries me the most about their team is the lack of variety in their attacking positions. I'm mainly concerned about the lack of substitutes behind their top goal scorer, Ollie Watkins, who has played in every single one of their 17 league matches to date.

It's hard to imagine how Villa would manage without Watkins because he plays a crucial role in their success. However, it's worth noting that Villa has done an excellent job of keeping their important players healthy up to this point.

In addition, they will be given the opportunity to acquire some additional players when the January transfer market becomes available. It will be intriguing to witness the consequences of this.

At this moment, they are executing their strategies flawlessly and not only are they securing victories, they also had an excellent weekend due to two other teams in the upper echelon, Liverpool and Manchester City, losing points.

City's Dominance: A Familiar Sight

When comparing their previous high achievements, it's evident that City has been struggling lately with only one victory in their last six league games.

Their recent matches have witnessed them giving up another valuable late equalizer against Crystal Palace on Saturday, following similar incidents against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham.

This highlights that even if you're an exceptional player, uncertainty can arise when you're on a losing streak and games become intense towards the end.

They are unaccustomed to such circumstances as they have been enjoying a largely unchallenged existence for an extended period of time.

The number of points they've accumulated is currently the lowest it's been since Pep Guardiola became their coach in 2016. This is a source of worry because if their goal is to win the title again, they'll have to adopt a different approach than their past seasons as the most superior team.

However, it would be unwise to underestimate them, as they possess immense skills and abilities.

After their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Fifa Club World Cup, they'll need to catch up a bit. However, I'm confident they'll go on a lengthy streak of victories at some point.

If you take into account that Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne will be returning to the team within the next few weeks, it's certain that they will be in the running for the championship.

Liverpool Lacked Attacking Spark

Liverpool experienced disappointment during their match against Manchester United despite being expected to win easily.

Before the game, everyone was discussing how much they would win by, but in the final result, their performance in the forward position was lacking energy.

Liverpool didn't shake up United's defensive line like we expected them to, or at least not as much as we thought - even though United held their ground quite well. During the game, Liverpool played right into United's strategy by sending in a lot of crosses, which Varane and Evans skillfully handled.

United has received a lot of negative feedback lately regarding the insufficient performance of some of their players, and rumors of turmoil within the team.

On Sunday, it was crucial for the team to unite and put forth their best effort for their supporters. They accomplished this and their strategy was successful, resulting in a commendable draw.

The team needs to maintain their unity beyond one match at Anfield. They cannot simply revert to their previous lackluster performance against Bournemouth or Newcastle when they face West Ham the following weekend.

The game plan for United was to limit Liverpool's attack, but it seems like they had no choice but to do that. This was probably because they lacked the skills and abilities to be more aggressive and create opportunities for themselves.

Ultimately, United had the most favorable opportunity to secure the victory with Rasmus Hojlund, but he was prevented by Alisson after receiving a pass.

Hojlund hasn't managed to score in the Premier League yet, despite his expensive summer transfer from Atalanta. However, I did feel a twinge of sympathy for him during Sunday's game.

He faced a challenging task in his role, working solo against two of the top center defenders in the league, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Manchester United wasn't really focused on generating a lot of opportunities in the first half, and they only gained two opportunities to score within the Liverpool penalty area during this time.

It wasn't entirely Hojlund's responsibility for not being able to participate in the game at that time. However, he could have performed better in the second half when the ball was frequently passed to him. He faced some difficulties in controlling the ball and maintaining possession or earning a free-kick.

Obviously, he was presented with a significant chance, which is ultimately what you strive for while playing at Anfield. Unfortunately, he failed to convert it.

Despite this, his team managed to secure one point, and it's certain that they would have been happy with that result prior to the match.

Rice's Impact On Arsenal's Success

Arsenal managed to secure the top spot after earning an easy victory against Brighton earlier in the day, while Liverpool's draw failed to bring them up.

It's evident that the Gunners have gotten better compared to last season. They almost beat City in the final few games. Declan Rice has played a significant role in this improvement.

In my humble opinion, he has been the most impressive addition to the team this summer, and the amount of £100m that was paid to acquire him from West Ham seems to have been worth the investment.

The addition of Rice to the Arsenal team has enhanced their defensive stability and injected some extra aggression in their midfield. On top of that, he displays exceptional skills whenever he is in possession of the ball.

Arsenal hasn't been as thrilling as they were in the previous year while moving forward. However, just like Liverpool, they've allowed the least number of goals in the Premier League this season. I believe Arsenal will be pleased with the improvement they've made.

I have observed that my colleague Ian Wright is feeling contented regarding the current state of affairs at Arsenal. We viewed their triumph together on Sunday.

When Wrighty leaves Match of the Day at the end of the season, we will all feel his absence greatly and the office will surely become less lively without him.

Every week, he brings an incredible amount of liveliness and excitement to the show. It's not just when Arsenal is playing - he's particularly raucous when they're winning and sitting at the top of the league.

Alan Shearer had a conversation with Chris Bevan from BBC Sport.