It might have taken four Championship matches to get it, but Aston Villa finally got it on Saturday when they defeated Norwich City 4-2. Here are three thoughts for this match:
Hourihane steals the show
With lingering doubts over his quality, former Barnsley man Conor Hourihane went a long way toward proving all the naysayers wrong. It might have been just one match, but his hat trick has done wonders to ease the minds of fans and his manager alike.
Without their big-name strikers up top due to injury, they needed a midfielder to step up and show the way for them. Hourihane gave them what they needed on the day.
Defence still rickety
Despite getting out to leads of 2-0 and 3-1 up, Aston Villa still conspired to give up two goals that could have undermined their chances of winning. In the end, they pulled back away, but it was still not a wanted result.
They would have loved to have seen out a clean sheet, or a more clear victory, but that was not meant to be on this day. Once again a lack of attention to detail cost them, and it’s something manager Steve Bruce will have to look to correct.
Selection risk pays off
Steve Bruce had little choice but to go with a creative option up front after the injuries to Jonathan Kodija and Scott Hogan kept them out of the match.
He went for the option of playing two 19 years old up top- Andre Green and Keinan Davis- instead of going with an improvised combination of midfielders, or defenders. Green particularly paid off as he found the back of the net for their third goal, giving them a more comfortable position in the match.
