After a game where Aston Villa were 3-1 up, it was starting to seem like it might be the Midlands’ based club’s day but, after a combination of some sloppy defending and another breathtaking Belgian – Marouane Fellaini – Villa had to make do with a point.
Due to the nature of the result, that Villa were leading and dropped points, it may well feel as bad as a loss, though compared to the losses of recent times, one might not go that far.
It was to be the battle of the Belgians as Christian Benteke and the aforementioned Fellaini bagged two each leaving fans in a mixture of happiness that Villa’s number 20 was scoring mixed with a feeling of inevitability that he will leave come the end of the season.
Of course, whether Benteke does leave hinges on many things that haven’t – yet – come to pass. For example, survival will play a huge role in what happens with many players at the club, not just Benteke, though one would imagine that Villa’s young striker will attract attention regardless of relegation or not.
If there is to be one silver lining for that particular deal, it is that Villa will likely make a profit on the deal meaning extra spending.
The key, of course, is to ensure that the club are in the right league come next season and, whilst a point isn’t as many as three, I imagine a lot of fans would have been happy with such a result before kick off.
So, as Villa seem to, at least temporarily, stop the rot in terms of losing games, Paul Lambert will aim to build a platform to take the club further up the table.
However now, at almost 5:30pm, Villa are unmoved in 19th and two points from safety, more likely three points due to their inferior goal difference.
Can the great escape happen? We’ll be sure to see it unfold in the coming weeks and months.
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