to United, the third Villa player to suffer the a serious knee injury after Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia. Diego Carlos also picked up a hamstring injury in training.
Villa did look a lot better in that game than in previous weeks, with much more energy and verve in their play. Unfortunately, they found Andre Onana in solid form and Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey and others missing theirs in front of goal.
For fans and those still at the club from the last time Villa dared to dream, there must be a slight sense of déjà vu.
The late 2000s saw Martin O’Neill lead the club into a similar position to Emery, with Champions League qualification well within reach deep into the second half of the season.
In 2008/09, away form was Villa’s strength, with 10 wins from their first 13 league games the best in the division, and a 2-0 win at Blackburn on February 7 making it seven on the spin, leaving them sitting pretty in third.
A team starring Gareth Barry, James Milner and Ashley Young – who O’Neill called the best player in the world after a stunning late winner at Everton earlier in the season – appeared on the cusp of making the next step but instead, what followed was an epic collapse.
There was no league win for nearly three months, with Villa winning just two of their last 12 league games, none coming away from home. Six of their 10 league defeats came in this period.
They eventually finished sixth, 10 points behind perennial fourth-placers Arsenal.
The following season saw a similar story and the same league finish, albeit in less dramatic fashion, as Villa were usurped by both Tottenham and Manchester City, marking the origins of the ‘Big Six’ we know and love/loathe today.
But for a dodgy lasagne, Spurs would have qualified for the Champions League in 2005/06 and by 2010, Harry Redknapp had built a rather formidable squad featuring Gareth Bale and Luka Modric amongst others.
