Analysis: History made and mission accomplished for Aston Villa - at least for now

Mondays can rarely have been much better for Dean Smith, who watched his team achieve a club record-breaking 10th straight league win which was also enough to cement their place in the Championship’s top six.

A season which just two months ago looked lost is now guaranteed to extend for at least two extra games, with rivals Albion almost certain to be the opponents.

Jonathan Kodjia’s eighth goal of the season was enough to see Villa past a stubborn Millwall outfit, for whom goalkeeper David Martin pulled off a string of impressive saves to ensure a sold-out home crowd couldn’t fully relax or celebrate until the final whistle.

Victory complete, attention quickly turned elsewhere, with defeats for Middlesbrough at Nottingham Forest and Bristol City at Sheffield Wednesday meaning Villa can now finish no lower than sixth.

For a team who sat 14th in the division as recently as March 10, the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. Yet in another respect, Smith’s men have delivered rare sanity to a division often dubbed the craziest in world football.

While rivals have stumbled, Villa have kept on winning. Through their rapid transition from no-hopers to favourites for a play-off spot, they have not blinked once. No matter what obstacle might be thrown in their way, they have found a way to overcome it.

On Monday it was the absence through injury of 25-goal top scorer Tammy Abraham and Axel Tuanzebe.

No matter, in the place of Abraham up stepped Kodjia to lead the line, while at the back Mile Jedinak stood in alongside Tyrone Mings as Villa kept a fifth clean sheet of their winning run.

The pair were the fifth different centre-back partnership used over the course of the 10 games, providing proof ­– if any more were needed – that for all the deserved attention which has fallen on the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn, this has truly been a squad effort.

Perhaps the only question for Smith now is how he approaches the final two fixtures, against Leeds and Norwich.

Villa will head to Elland Road on Sunday under considerably less pressure than the hosts, who remain locked in a battle for automatic promotion.

Yet the importance of maintaining momentum as the play-offs approach also needs taking into consideration.

Abraham, still struggling with the shoulder injury sustained at Bolton last Friday, will not be risked and may not play again until the play-offs.

But having built up a head of steam, now is not the time for Villa to take their foot off the gas.

Besides, whichever team Smith picks these days features players battling to stake their claim and in Kodjia they have a back-up the envy of most other teams in the division.

The 29-year-old would net his eighth goal of the season on the half-hour mark to put Villa ahead, though it was far from one-way traffic before then.

Millwall were the first team to register an attempt on target, former Wolves man Jed Wallace taking advantage of space 25 yards from goal to sting the palms of Jed Steer.

The hosts, despite seeing the bulk of possession, were finding it hard to break down a disciplined visiting defence.

That discipline fell apart, however, when Shane Ferguson overhit a pass intended for Jack Cooper to send Kodjia clear.

A heavy first touch probably cost the Ivory Coast international dear, allowing Millwall keeper Martin to rush out and block his shot at close range, the ball ricocheting off Kodjia and wide of the post.

Nevertheless, the visitors suddenly looked rattled and just a minute late Kodjia did put Villa ahead.

The hosts crafted their best move of the match to that point, with John McGinn finding Jack Grealish, who in turn played in El Ghazi on the left-hand side of the box. Kodjia, arriving at the near post, turned the latter’s first-time cross beyond Martin.

He might have had a second before the break when Grealish’s shot deflected into Cooper and the ball bounced to Kodjia eight yards out. But the striker was unable to adjust his feet in time and Martin was able to pounce and gather.

Wallace drilled over from distance as Millwall made the brighter start to the second half.

Yet Kodjia then came close to giving Villa the breathing space they desired when he danced past two defenders and into the box, only to put his finish wide of the far post.

Smith introduced both Conor Hourihane and Andre Green off the bench on the hour mark and the latter sent a shot into the side netting after good work from Grealish.

Millwall seemed to be struggling to get to grips with a blustery wind, but remained very much in the game, and Villa were left breathing a sigh of relief when Cooper headed wide at a free-kick with Steer, who had vacated his goal, in no-man’s land.

Villa just couldn’t find the second, with Grealish seeing an effort deflect agonisingly wide of the post after running at the visiting defence.

Martin also saved a fiercely-struck El Ghazi shot as the clocked ticked into the final 15 minutes. Green then volleyed straight at the keeper after an El Ghazi effort deflected invitingly into his path.

Millwall’s last big chance fell to Lee Gregory but he was unable to keep down a close-range effort.

The closing moments were all Villa but a second goal remained elusive. Martin denied El Ghazi again, this time after the winger had gone through one-on-one. Green also saw a stoppage time effort deflected over as the hosts saw out the win.

Joining in the celebrations at the final whistle were Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, the club's billionaire owners witnessing history on a rare visit to Villa Park.

Their intervention at the 11th hour last July saved Villa from administration and for much of this season the scars of a summer spent on the brink looked too much for the club to overcome.

Now with players, management, fans and owners moving as one, the dream of promotion is very much back on.

Villa (4-3-3): Steer 7, Elmohamady 7, Jedinak 7, Mings 8, Taylor 7, McGinn 7, Whelan 6 (Hourihane 7 60), Grealish 8, Adomah 6 (Green 6 60), Kodjia 7 (Davis 76), El Ghazi 8 Subs not used: Elphick, Bjarnason, Lansbury, Sarkic (gk).