For all the tumult on the streets surrounding Villa Park, it was an image inside that spoke loudest. The bank of seats that houses away fans in the Doug Ellis Stand sat empty all night and was a reminder that, from whichever angle you viewed a story that gripped the nation’s news cycle, there was nothing normal about what unfolded here. It was impossible to escape the sense everyone involved simply wanted the occasion ticked off and at least, from the hosts’ perspective, it eventually passed without serious mishap on or off the pitch.
Within the sealed container of Aston Villa’s home, those who had showed up succeeded in sticking to football. The loudest cheer of a largely turgid night arose when John McGinn entered, the match well won, to make his 300th appearance for the club. Earlier the local choirs had serenaded the block from which any Maccabi Tel Aviv contingent was absent, aiming chants at the vacant section as if exchanging banter with a domestic foe. A patchy crowd managed to summon flickers of good, innocent fun.
