Dave Woodhall sees Villa snatch victory from the jaws of defeat from the jaws of victory.
Looking around Villa Park before the match I did, not for the first time, wonder where all these people have come from. Villa’s crowds have shot up dramatically in recent years and there’s no sign of them going down again. There was talk of tempting fate, flights to Istanbul and winning Uefa ballots.
Personally I think such good fortune should be reserved for those who endured the years of pre-NSWE misery, but that’s just my natural miseryarsedness. I also saw some Samaritans volunteers walking around and I couldn’t help thinking that they’d have been more use a few years ago as well.
But down to business and there wasn’t much change in the team that had eased into the Europa League semi-finals. That had been a routine win and similar was expected today. Turn up, get three points, go home. Job done.
It certainly looked that way after two minutes when Matty Cash then John McGinn laid on the start of Ollie Watkins’ second hundred Villa goals. Then Villa switched off and seven minutes later Sunderland equalised. Not such a straightforward win after all.
Luckily his looked like a mere blip on the road to the Champions League. McGinn’s corner was headed against the bar by Amadou Onana, then Ian Maatsen’s cross was headed home by Watkins and never has a return to form been timed so well.
Two-one at half-time and it was a matter of seconds into the second half when McGinn won the ball, Ross Barkley carried it forward, Watkins put it through to Morgan Rogers and Villa were in a two-goal lead. Two in two games for Rogers and seeing him back on top is welcome as well.
That was it; job done. Despite that brief early scare it had been the sort of easy win that teams need at this stage of the season and Villa are masters at killing the game off from this position. As the second half progressed Unai was able to bring on substitutes to see it out and you could leave five minutes early to beat the traffic knowing that you hadn’t missed anything.
Apart from Jadon Sancho, just arrived into the fray, having more impact than any impact sub has a right to have. Four minutes to go and he lost the ball in a dangerous position. Three and a half minutes to go and he does the same again, although he wasn’t the only one at fault this time.
Three minutes into stoppage time and another defensive error meant it was up to the best keeper in the world to save the match. Thirty seconds later Lucas Digne’s cross was touched in by another sub, Tammy Abrahams. There you are, another straightforward three points again, just as predicted. Ten clear of sixth place, five games to go.
On a serious note it was good to see those Samaritans workers at the match, as the rate of mental health and suicide amongst the demographics prevalent in a football crowd continues to be of epidemic proportions. If you ever need them their phone number is 116 123.
