As Jack Grealish collapsed on his back, eyes wandering around an empty Villa Park, having possibly played his last game for his boyhood club, he couldn’t believe what Villa had just achieved. Not only had they managed to climb out of the drop zone for this first time in ages but they had done so by stopping an in-form Arsenal side still fresh from two HUGE results against City and Liverpool. They now have a legit shout of staying up and I think if you’d have told Dean Smith that he’d start the final day, out of the drop zone needing to match or better whatever result Watford manage to secure away to Arsenal, he’d have taken it.
The relegation battle is probably as exciting as a battle for Europe heading into the final day, if not more. You’d probably argue it’s advantage Aston Villa but they’ve earned this. They left no space in between the lines for Arsenal to exploit, they covered the wide players well and when an opportunity came, they took it well. They were a tad bit lucky with Eddie Nketiah hitting the woodwork but you’ve got to earn your luck at times and they certainly did.
It’s been quite a weird restart for the Birmingham side. They’ve been very solid at the back but they glaring lack of quality up front has been felt hard. There’s only so much a certain Jack Grealish can do. They gave Liverpool a game at Anfield and were all over United in the first twenty minutes and were extremely unlucky to share points with Everton after a brilliant performance at Goodison Park.
They’ve worked hard, they’ve been brave and if they stay up, it’s fully merited. This probably won’t be mentioned as much as Liverpool’s title or United’s dramatic push for The Champions League but this is huge.
“I’m not too sure about the future, to be honest with you. My sole objective is to keep this club in the Premier League where it belongs”, Jack Grealish told Sky Sports after the game, still panting, possibly more emotion than fatigue having played his final game at Villa Park [possibly].
Even if he ends up leaving the club of his heart for the club of his dreams, having supported Man United growing up, it’s not the end of the road for Aston Villa. They need players will Premier League experience and they need to build on what will be considered a massive success, if they do indeed stay up.
That being said, they do need to retain Premier League status. It’s all but over. They’re up against a very dangerous West Ham side based on current form and Smith will need to get one final lap out of these lads who, to be fair have given everything for the shirt. They can’t afford to relax, especially given the flair for the dramatic that closing days tend to have.
I wish them all the best!
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