Their 1-0 victory over Southampton was about as hideous as football gets, 90 minutes desperately short on excitement and quality, played out in some of the worst conditions in recent memory.
Not for spectacles such as these are broadcasters convinced into paying billions for the rights to Premier League football.
Yet by the final whistle, all that mattered to Villa and their manager Unai Emery was the result. There are no points on offer for style and much as there was little about the afternoon to enjoy, Villa’s second win in the space of less than 72 hours ensured they finished the weekend sitting comfortably in the Premier League’s top half, their long-term targets all still very much to play for as the season hurtles toward the midway point.
Of course, you’d like to win with a bit more panache but by the same token, this was precisely the kind of game of which Villa haven’t won enough in recent months, owing to their inability - at least in domestic competition - to keep clean sheets.
Saturday was just their second shutout in 20 Premier League matches and comfortably the biggest tick in the positives column, albeit with the caveat of having come against the worst team in the division who, though trailing, failed to register a shot at goal in the closing quarter of the game.
In fact, the sorry Saints had just four attempts on goal across the whole afternoon, with none on target. Villa should have won by more but - not for the first time this season - were wasteful. Of their 18 attempts, only five were on target and they were thwarted more than once by some impressive last-ditch defending, not least from Nathan Wood.
It was just as well, considering the young centre-back’s ability to be in the right place at the right time, Jhon Duran left him trailing in his wake as he powered away from the Saints defence before lifting a finish over Joe Lumley for the only goal of the game 24 minutes in.
The strike halted a seven-match drought for the Colombia international, who had seen his quite understandably dip from the near stratospheric levels of the campaign’s early months, a time when everything he touched seemed to turn to gold.
This was his first Premier League start of the season and the performance, which followed an encouraging cameo in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Brentford, suggested a player beginning to rediscover some rhythm. That is important for Villa as with Leon Bailey now joining Jacob Ramsey on the injury list, the onus will fall even more heavily on Duran and Ollie Watkins to score the goals. The latter should really have added to his own tally after replacing his fellow striker off the bench for the final half-hour, yet for all the frustration over his profligacy, Villa still look a far more fluent attacking unit when the senior man is on the pitch.
While Duran’s goal ensured he got the headlines, Villa’s best player was Boubacar Kamara. The performances of the midfielder and Tyrone Mings, who returned to the bench on Saturday after making his Premier League return against Brentford, have undoubtedly been the biggest plus-points for Emery in the past two matches.
Kamara is one of just four outfield players to have started the last four matches, a quite impressive achievement considering he only recently returned from eight months out with a serious knee injury. His display on Saturday was among the best evidence you could present as to why many of his team-mates regard the 25-year-old as the most under-rated member of their dressing room.
Put simply, Villa do not have another player who possesses Kamara’s skillset, the ability to read the game, snuff out attacks and start them, the knack of appearing just when you need him. It is perhaps no surprise these last four games, with the France international at the heart of the team, have seen Villa keep two clean sheets. The return to fitness of Amadou Onana, signed in part for his ability to play alongside Kamara if required, now provides Emery with further options. It must also be noted Saturday’s shut-out was achieved with a different centre-back pairing to that seen against Brentford.
Overall, this was not the kind of performance likely to change the outlook of supporters, whether they be optimist or sceptic. The impact of the weather, with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour at points, cannot be ignored.
Those with glasses half empty would no doubt point to Bailey’s hamstring injury, the second he has suffered this season, as another unhelpful blow and the onus now really is on Jaden Philogene to grasp the chance which will be presented to him in the Jamaica international’s absence, starting with tomorrow night’s Champions League date in Leipzig.
It might also be argued Villa’s overall display would not have been sufficient to beat pretty much every other team in the division, though on the flip side there was also the distinct impression some players had realised as much and were managing their effort.
Yet the bottom line is one week after being soundly beaten at Chelsea and on an eight-match winless run, Villa have now won two on the spin. The mood is brighter and in a still congested table, they sit just two points outside the top-four. Sustaining the momentum is the new challenge.