Analysis: Aston Villa save one of their best for fans' return

Without question, it was the most enjoyable, as after more than 15 months of playing to empty stands, supporters were there to see it.

The roar of the fans had been missing in the 7-2 win over Liverpool and victories both home and away against Arsenal.

But it was present here, 10,000 sounding louder than 40,000 as Dean Smith’s men gave Champions League finalists Chelsea a bloody nose and - for much of the afternoon - threatened to inflict a defeat which would have sent Thomas Tuchel’s visitors tumbling out of the top four before they were saved by results elsewhere.

The Holte End roared with delight as Bertrand Traore and then Anwar El Ghazi, from the penalty spot, fired Villa into a two-goal lead. They then stayed with the team after Ben Chilwell pulled a goal back with 20 minutes remaining and Chelsea threatened an equaliser to knock the gloss off the occasion.

While this season might not quite have delivered everything it once promised, this was another result which - much like last Wednesday’s win at Tottenham - whetted the appetite for what might be to come.

Even before those triumphs this had already been a hugely successful season for Villa, by almost any metric you choose. They have won seven more games, accrued 20 more points, scored 14 more goals and conceded 21 fewer.

Perhaps most importantly, after a decade of irrelevance, they have announced themselves as a team to be reckoned with once more. Of the Premier League’s established elite, only the Manchester clubs completed the double over Smith’s men. Chelsea couldn’t beat them, Villa taking four points from the London club, while against Liverpool and Tottenham the spoils were shared.

Fixtures which prior to this season sparked fear, now breed excitement. After an admittedly shaky start yesterday, Villa succeeded in getting right under Chelsea’s skin. Under pressure, it was the visitors who lost their cool, their skipper Cesar Azpilicueta seeing red late on after flinging his arm into Jack Grealish’s face. Smith’s players have produced prettier performances this season. But the grit and organisation which are the base ingredients of any good team have rarely been absent.

The key question now is can they kick on again? Just as Smith and the owners were not satisfied with last season’s 17th-placed finish, neither will 11th be deemed acceptable a year from now, no matter how many memorable moments the season might feature.

This is not a club ready to rest on its laurels and attention has already turned to how the promise shown this term can be fulfilled next.

Planning for another key transfer window has been taking place for several months. The clear aim must be to replicate the success of last summer’s haul which, the rather underwhelming contribution of Ross Barkley aside, could hardly have gone better. Watkins and Martinez in particular has exceeded expectations and though Matty Cash and Traore have maybe not hit the same heights, both have had good seasons. The latter, facing his former club, netted his seventh Premier League goal of the season to open the scoring.

Villa will anticipate all four being even better next season, in the same way the likes of Matt Targett, Ezri Konsa and Douglas Luiz have built on their experience of the 2019-20 campaign.

The focus of the window will be on easing the creative burden on Jack Grealish. Had Villa not been without their skipper for the 12 matches he missed with a shin injury there is every chance there would have been something significant riding on yesterday’s match for Smith’s men as well as the visitors.

Grealish’s future will, as always, be the subject of speculation. As always, it would be wise not to write anything off. Yet in truth Villa enter this summer in their strongest ever position with regards to Grealish.

Of course the 25-year-old has suitors. Prior to the injury which saw him miss almost a third of the season, he was on course to record one of the finest individual campaigns in club history. He will surely get the chance to further bolster his reputation in this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament.

Yet any club wishing to prise Grealish away from Villa at this point will need to spend a significant sum to do so, possibly in excess of £100million. With everyone feeling the pinch of the pandemic and the transfer market still depressed, such an offer might be best categorised as unlikely.

It was another England hopeful, Mason Mount, who dominated the early exchanges at Villa Park, with Gareth Southgate watching from the stands.

But it was Mount who was guilty of the biggest miss as Chelsea pushed in vain for an early breakthrough, firing over from 12 yards out after being teed up by Cesar Azpilicueta.

After that the visitors appeared to lose heart, while Villa - having spent the opening 25 minutes on the back foot grew in confidence.

Two minutes before half-time they led. Watkins forced Thiago Silva to concede a corner and when Targett fired in the delivery low, Traore met it 12 yards out, sending a shot bouncing into the ground and then up and in off the bar. “Super League? You’re having a laugh” sang the Holte.

Seven minutes into the second half the noise went up another few levels. Grealish picked out Traore, Jorginho brought him down and El Ghazi held his nerve to slot home the spot-kick and score his 10th Premier League goal of the season.

Chelsea refused to give in. With 20 minutes remaining Chilwell gave them hope when he slotted in at the far post and Villa were once more under the cosh. Yet they did not buckle and instead it was the visitors who lost their cool again, Azpilicueta seeing red for striking Grealish in the face.