[PA Media]
Cast your mind back a couple of months and Aston Villa held a healthy double-digit points buffer in the race for Champions League qualification.
Considering their main competition for a top-five place included Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, it always felt likely that cushion would be tested.
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It was.
While Villa had the heart of their midfield ripped out by injuries to a trio of key players, also exposing a poor and confused summer transfer window, it was still surprising how little resistance they offered in certain games.
In some, they managed only a single shot on target. Before Sunday’s match against West Ham, they were in the bottom three for form over the previous 10 games, with just nine points from a possible 30.
Manchester United had already overtaken them, while Chelsea and Liverpool had closed the gap to within striking distance.
It felt like the season was agonisingly slipping away.
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In the space of a week, however, Villa’s returning captain John McGinn has seemingly single-handedly re-energised a flagging side, helping to send them into a Europa League quarter-final and, with victory over the Hammers, capitalise on both Liverpool and Chelsea failing to win in successive league games.
Crucially, just as their points buffer looked set to finally expire, it has been topped up heading into the international break. With United, Liverpool and Chelsea all still to face each other, there are guaranteed points to be dropped.
With Youri Tielemans also back, there has been such a shift in mood around Villa that expectation has swung again. They should surely take care of business now.
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said