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Burnley 1-2 Aston Villa | Talking Points

Aston Villa moved out of the relegation zone with an impressive victory at struggling Burnley. Goals from Wesley and Jack Grealish had the Villans two up before half time and Chris Wood’s late header proved in vain as the Clarets fell to a third defeat in seven days.

Villa made five changes to the side that was comprehensively swept aside by Watford just four days prior, with Tyrone Mings returning from injury to take his place in a back three.

Burnley meanwhile made just one change from their defeat to Manchester United, Robbie Brady coming in for fellow Irishman Jeff Hendrick.

The game started fairly evenly but Villa gradually took control as the first half wore on. It looked as though they had taken the lead after 12 minutes when Jack Grealish powered in a bullet header from Ezri Konsa’s right-wing cross, but VAR stole the headlines and ruled the effort out after judging Wesley to be offside by the narrowest of margins.

Villa were not to be denied however and it was Grealish’s instrumental intricate play around the edge of the box that culminated in a close range finish from Wesley.

Burnley continued to be lethargic in defence and were punished again before half time when Grealish blasted home from 15 yards. The Clarets were slow to close the enigmatic midfielder down and he duly responded with a high finish that left Nick Pope clawing at thin air.

Needing two goals to claim anything from the match, Burnley began to take control of possession in the second half but failed to test Tom Heaton. More dreadful defensive play from Ashley Westwood led to a glorious chance for Douglas Luiz to put the game to bed, but the Brazilian summer signing fired his 12-yard effort straight at Pope.

Burnley continued to press and after Jay Rodriguez squandered a brilliant chance, Chris Wood finally halved the deficit on 80 minutes with a back post header that was Burnley’s first effort on target.

Villa keeper Heaton had to be substituted after landing awkwardly trying to save the goal, but his replacement Orjan Nyland wasn’t required to make any saves with Villa seeing out the win with minimum fuss.

The win takes Villa to 21 points and out of the bottom three at the expense of Bournemouth, while Burnley are two places and three points higher after a third straight defeat.

VAR in the spotlight again

It’s barely even news anymore. While the use of the Video Assistant Referee was meant to reduce controversy in football, so far it has had the opposite effect.

On this occasion, it appears that the right decision was reached (albeit by the tightest of margins), but a two-minute wait once again left fans at Turf Moor restless as the decision was made by a group of men hundreds of miles away.

It also provided a stark reminder of arguably VAR’s biggest flaw. Having earlier seen Jack Grealish’s header ruled out, Wesley’s celebrations were tempered after scoring the eventual opener, the Brazilian clearly reluctant to show emotion while there was a chance of his own effort being ruled out.

The joy of scoring a goal is one of football’s finest moments. VAR must find a way to ensure the integrity of decisions without jeopardising what makes football special.

Grealish battering down the England door

If Jack Grealish was knocking on the England door before, then he’s now all but through it. After yet another dazzling display that saw him bag a goal and assist, Gareth Southgate cannot ignore what Grealish offers any more.

With six goals and five assists to his name in the Premier League, he does not have the stats of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho or Marcus Rashford, all direct rivals for the wide spots in England’s team.

Gareth Southgate claimed Grealish was some way off those three after overlooking him for the most recent internationals, but Callum Hudson-Odoi can surely no longer be ahead in the hierarchy.

Villa fans will be quick to point out that Grealish’s game transcends goal involvements too, the 24-year-old often a stand out performer even when Villa struggle or fail to score, often single-handedly carrying his team.

His ability to make something from nothing is something few if any, English players possess. The likes of Dele Alli, Mason Mount, Jesse Lingard and Ross Barkley have all been either inconsistent or invisible in recent weeks. Right now, Jack Grealish and James Maddison are England’s best creative midfielders.

Southgate will surely pick them both in his next squad and if he finds a way to fit either of them into a midfield unit, they could provide the solution to the seemingly eternal search for midfield balance.

Time to worry for Burnley?

Maybe. The Clarets have had an average season so far, but are seemingly stuck in a terrible rut. What has been a fearsome defensive unit has leaked goals and what was a potent attack has dried up.

While this performance may be explained by the festive schedule and Sean Dyche’s unwillingness to rotate, Burnley must improve in all areas if they are to retain their Premier League status for a fifth successive season.

The Clarets are actually several points better off then this time last season, but the rest of the league appears to be as well. In previous years, not least last season when Burnley were in 18th place at the turn of the year, Sean Dyche has found a way to take them up a level and power to safety when they seem to be in danger.

He may have a similar job on his hands right now. Of the teams below them, only Bournemouth appear to be struggling, with Watford and West Ham resurgent after managerial changes and Villa and Norwich reglularly picking up points.

Burnley must go back to basics. While Chris Wood, Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes have managed 16 league goals this season, the rest of the team have contributed just eight. If this doesn’t improve and the defence continues to leak goals, it could be a rocky end to 2019/20 for the Clarets.

Villa look much better with Mings

Villa are far from a finished article, but this performance was brilliant in comparison to some of the Villans’ recent displays, none more so than the disastrous defeat to Watford.

After missing the last four games through injury, the trip to Burnley marked the return of Tyrone Mings to the Villa defence. The 26-year-old settled straight into the side as they kept Burnley at bay for 80 minutes, with only a towering header from Chris Wood denying the Villans’ a clean sheet.

The improvement in performance is obviously not exclusively down to Mings’ return, but with every game that passes, he appears to improve his credentials as one of England’s best defenders. If Villa can keep Mings fit and Grealish firing, they have every chance of sealing survival.

Festive schedule takes its toll on players

One of the few positives in this match for Burnley was that they did not appear to suffer any injuries. The same cannot be said of Aston Villa.

With John McGinn, Matt Targett and Bjorn Engels among those already sidelined before the trip to Lancashire, Tom Heaton and Wesley now look set for a spell on the sidelines. While Engels and Targett are closing in on a return and a boost to Villa’s defensive options, Tom Heaton was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The extent of Wesley’s injury meanwhile, is a little clearer. The Brazilian forward looks set to miss the rest of the season with what is believed to be cruciate ligament damage. Having missed just one Premier League game between them all season, Villa must adapt without their front and back men.

Sam Hanys

A miserable Ipswich Town fan.

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