Analysis: Victory over Blackburn proves Aston Villa play-off charge is far from a one-man show

The presence of England boss Gareth Southgate in the stands offered Grealish the chance to write the latest in a series of near-perfect scripts since his return from injury at the start of last month.

Yet while the 23-year-old more than played his part in Villa’s fifth straight Championship victory, his influence was a little less pronounced than in the previous four.

Top billing, on this occasion, went to Tyrone Mings, whose towering display at the back epitomised a team performance which required both flair and fortitude to outlast a Blackburn outfit who proved stubbornly hard to shift.

Mings would score what proved to be the winning goal just past the hour mark, his second since joining Villa on transfer deadline day.

The 26-year-old has played more minutes in the past two months than during three-and-a-half unlucky, injury-hit years with Bournemouth. Across 10 appearances it is difficult to recall him putting a foot wrong.

It is, of course, far too premature and a stretch to suggest Mings could one day be part of Southgate’s plans. But it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the England chief hasn’t at least made a mental note to keep tabs on his progress on the basis of Saturday’s showing. Mings will be back playing somewhere in the Premier League next season, that much is clear.

Joining him on the list of Villa’s star performers was a man Southgate can never pick, midfielder John McGinn.

International football was probably the last thing the Scot was thinking about, having been part of the team humbled in Kazakhstan.

Any fears the chastening experience in Astana might affect his club form was dispelled by the eighth minute when he played a key role in Villa’s opener, chipping a pass out to Anwar El Ghazi, who promptly set up Tammy Abraham for the simplest of finishes.

McGinn would then directly supply Mings for the second goal, his ninth assist of the season.

In between, he was unlucky not to score for the third straight game when Blackburn keeper David Raya brilliantly tipped his drive on to the post. Though McGinn was also guilty of giving away the free-kick from which Amari’i Bell brought the visitors back into the game, he made amends with a lung-bursting, 70-yard crossfield run which allowed Villa to run out the final seconds of stoppage time.

Elsewhere in midfield, Glenn Whelan rewarded Smith’s decision to keep him in the starting XI by continuing his transformation from scapegoat to fan favourite.

Whelan’s relentless attitude was perhaps best summed up when he responded to being hit full in the face at close range by a second-half Mings clearance with a bemused shrug.

Abraham, a player very much on Southgate’s radar, meanwhile did his prospects no harm with a 22nd goal of the campaign. The 21-year-old was denied a second by the impressive Raya, though he did also squander the chance to significantly ease the late nerves when he blazed over with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Blackburn’s late fightback was a timely reminder for Villa of what can happen when you take your foot off the gas, though while the final half-an-hour did provide some cause for consternation, defensive discipline ensured Rovers did not create a chance of note after Bell’s goal. There is also no question Villa’s performance for the first hour would, on most weekends, have been sufficient to comfortably put the game to bed.

Victory took them up to fifth in the table and was important on a day when a number of rivals showed renewed signs of life.

Both Derby and Bristol City won impressively, the latter pulling off the result of the day at Sheffield United. They and Middlesbrough have the chance to leapfrog Villa in the standings when they meet tomorrow night, though Smith’s men are guaranteed to still be in the top six when they travel to Sheffield Wednesday for the much-anticipated reunion with Steve Bruce on Saturday.

The Owls remain unbeaten since Bruce took the reins, but will probably need a victory to seriously ignite a charge. For Villa, there is the chance to effectively knock another contender out of the race.