Oh what a night, more of the same on Sunday please and match facts from the BBC

I’m really not sure what to write about yesterday. It feels like trying to sum up the performance and result isn’t going to be possible with a few words written by me, but I have to write something so I’ll try, but I most definitely wont be getting carried away even though I think I have today.

You see and as I wrote in the last post it’s Sunday that counts. Don’t get me wrong, yesterday was fantastic and special and a moment that in terms of recent times will only be topped by winning the tournament, but win on Sunday and we are all but assured Champions League football next season. In fact, we could confirm it if results go our way.

Last night was so fantastic that when I got home the first thing I did was book a flight. I accidentally cancelled it this morning losing 90% of what I paid clicking around so I booked a another. And I don’t have a ticket for the match and I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to get one.

But this is one of those nights that might never come around again. What is an Aston Villa fan to do?

And it was possibly the best team effort I’ve seen all season. Saved for the right time and if we put in 80% of that on Sunday, not that I think we should take our foot off the gas for a moment, we’ll get the result we need.

And it would be wrong of me to call out any particular player because it really was a team effort of the highest standard, so I wont, but oh John McGinn, you were fantastic. Oh, Emi Buendia, you angel. And oh, Victor Lindelöf, you were great last night too!

But I’ll stop with those three because I sense I am getting carried away. And this post is about Sunday as that should be where our focus is right now. Sorry to try and bring things back to reality, but there are still a few games to go and we need our head in the game and we need the win on Sunday.

That isn’t to say we shouldn’t talk about it, but three points at Burnley means we can rest a player or three against Liverpool, much like we did against Spurs and that turned out to be exactly the right move for last night. Will it turn out to be the right reason again on Sunday?

But in Unai we trust and like I think I wrote recently, he’s forgotten more about football than most of us know and my faith remains. And if you’re heading to Istanbul, let me know.

Match facts from the BBC

Burnley have won just two of their 13 Premier League games against Aston Villa (D5 L6), and are winless in five since a 3-2 home win in January 2021.

Aston Villa have won their last three Premier League games against Burnley, as many as they had in their first 10 against them (D5 L2).

Aston Villa have lost just one of their nine Premier League matches when facing a side already relegated (W5 D3), though that loss came against Burnley in May 2015 (0-1).

Burnley have won one of their last 26 Premier League matches (D7 L18), coming from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in February.

Aston Villa have picked up just seven points in their last eight Premier League matches (W2 D1 L5). In this timeframe, only Chelsea (3) and Burnley (1) have won fewer.

Burnley are winless in 13 home Premier League games (D4 L9) since a 2-0 win over Leeds United in October. They could equal their longest home winless run in this game, going 14 between February and October 2021 previously.

Aston Villa are winless in their last five away Premier League matches (D2 L3), last having a longer run without an away win between May and October 2022 (8 games), which were the last eight away games before Unai Emery took over.

This will be Burnley manager Michael Jackson’s 10th Premier League game in charge and his third in that time against Aston Villa, losing at home and drawing away with them at the back end of 2021-22. It’s the first time in Premier League history a manager will face the same club three times within his first 10 games.

Emiliano Buendía has had a hand in five Premier League goals as a substitute this season (4 goals, 1 assist), with Leon Bailey in 2023-24 (3 goals, 4 assists) the only Aston Villa player with more in a season. Marlon Harewood in 2007-08 is also the only Villa player with more goals as a sub in a campaign (5).

Martin Dúbravka has made 127 saves in the Premier League this season, over 20 more than any other goalkeeper. The only Burnley goalkeepers to make more in a season are Brian Jensen (149 in 2009-10) and Tom Heaton (128 in 2014-15 and 141 in 2016-17).