When these two teams met in October, Aston Villa were 17th, outside the relegation zone only on goal difference, but such has been their resurgence under Unai Emery that heading into this game it was only Thomas Frank conceding that his side are no longer in the European race.
A run of three successive defeats had left Brentford’s outstanding second Premier League season in danger of petering out, while five wins on the spin had marked Villa out as - bar Manchester City - the division’s form side and started tentative talk of a late top-four push.
