Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley
Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
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Taking four points from a possible 12 against Everton, Brentford, Brighton and Leeds represents an underperformance - that goes without saying - even if collecting the same return from trips to Newcastle United and Bournemouth is a strong outcome.
Five of Villa’s last six matches in all competitions have been at home, including the last three. They now make the short trip across the West Midlands to face Wolves at Molineux.
Despite their upturn under Rob Edwards, Wolves remain a side Villa should - and must - beat to maintain a healthy cushion over the chasing pack of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for the Champions League places.
Both performances and results require sharp improvement. Still, a dip in level was perhaps inevitable without Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.
Douglas Luiz has started the last five matches for which he has been available, while Amadou Onana has become one of the first names on the team sheet in Kamara’s absence under Unai Emery.
Seeking fresh impetus against Wolves, however, Ross Barkley may have played his way into Emery’s thinking following an impressive cameo off the bench at the weekend. He helped Villa regain control, allowing them to sustain pressure for much of the final 30 minutes.
It was Jadon Sancho’s quality that posed problems for Leeds, with the Manchester United loanee offering more than Leon Bailey despite the winger playing for over an hour.
Both players are now, at least figuratively speaking, knocking on Emery’s door for a start at Molineux on Friday night, having responded well to being given the chance to show their quality to restore parity against Leeds.
The major selection dilemma, of course, is whether to start Tammy Abraham instead of - or alongside - Ollie Watkins.
After scoring in successive games against Newcastle and Leeds, Abraham has returned to Villa Park in excellent form and already looks a shrewd £18 million addition.
Scoring goals is the hardest task in football, yet Abraham makes it look simple. Re-watch how he bundled the ball past Karl Darlow in the 88th minute and you see not just fortune, but instinct - the ability to anticipate an opportunity and convert it decisively with his knee.
The quality of that finish was not lost on Premier League legend Wayne Rooney.
“Tammy Abraham comes on and it’s actually a very good goal,” he said on BBC Match of the Day. “His anticipation of the ball getting knocked back across the penalty box.
“Konsa with a great back and he just takes a step across the defender which means the defender can’t get anywhere near the ball.
“That finish off his thigh is excellent. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has one of the best leaps in the Premier League and he just gets it over his head and Aston Villa were very lucky to come away with a point.”
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John Townley
John Townley