THINGS ARE LOOKING UP FOR VILLA UNDER EMERY

IN a Premier League table since Unai Emery took over before the World Cup, Aston Villa would be joint-fourth with 26 points in 14 games, behind only Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

And while a win over relegation-fighting Bournemouth might have been expected, this was yet another sign of how terrific a job Emery is doing at the club.

When he took charge in October, Villa were below Bournemouth. They are now 14 points ahead of them.

Dragged in with the club flirting with relegation, the Spaniard has them looking up rather than down and perhaps even gearing towards a push for a place in Europe.

‘Three points, clean sheet,’ said Emery. ‘Some individual performances are improving. We are improving in our style and ideas, keeping possession of the ball and in our positioning.

‘The last 10 minutes is when we connect with our supporters and feel really good on the pitch. It’s the moment that we have enjoyed the most with our supporters.’

Villa went ahead after just seven minutes with a move started and finished by Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian picked up the ball in his own half, drove into opposition territory and found Ollie Watkins, whose effort was blocked but the ball fell to Leon Bailey. With a burst of pace, Bailey created an angle to deliver for Luiz, who was waiting for a simple tap-in.

David Brooks made his return for the Cherries with 11 minutes remaining, for his first appearance since September 2021, after he was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin lymphoma. The Villa Park crowd applauded in unison for the Welshman.

That applause turned into celebrations a minute later when Jacob Ramsey finished from close range after a knockdown from Watkins to double Villa’s advantage.

The three points were wrapped up shortly after when Emiliano Buendia headed in from a corner.