How do you top reducing the kings to pawns? It was a question on the lips of the Aston Villa supporters basking in these rather heady days and a conundrum for Unai Emery, their manager who is growing more untouchable by the week, to solve.
The simple answer is a club-record 15th straight home league victory, one which came against the erstwhile leaders, Arsenal, nonetheless. John McGinn’s early strike was sufficient to move Villa – who survived a late VAR check when Arsenal had a goal ruled out for handball against Kai Havertz – to within two points of the summit and one behind Arsenal. Perhaps Villa really are bona fide title contenders, as Pep Guardiola suggested in midweek.
