Villa face a surprising test as they face their recent bogey side Bournemouth, a fixture that has thrown up bad results over the last decade - although more through luck than judgement - represents a tricky task for Unai Emery’s high fliers.

Almost as if it was scripted, lowly Bournemouth again luck in against Villa but there’s enough there to take a point at the death that they never looked like being allowed to take away in front of the paltry 11,000 crowd.

Meanwhile, and something that will feature in no headlines, or be accompanied by banshee screams of corruption and vendettas. Villa have a 22’ goal ruled out for offside, an offside not committed by either the player crossing the ball or the player heading the ball and which it took a full 3 minutes for the VAR officials to find. Villa should have been leading 2-1 midway through the first half and form would suggest a comfortable victory awaited. It didn’t. Up in Anfield however, and with Liverpool being held to a draw in the final seconds by Fulham, Liverpool ‘score’ a last gasp winner despite an obvious and deliberate foul in the build up to the the goal. No VAR check follows. Liverpool win. Villa draw. Liverpool move onto 31 points when they should have been on 29. Villa gain a single point to sit on 29 when they should have won the game and three points to give them 31. That is how titles are won and lost. That is why VAR is such a clear and obvious mess. Look hard enough and they will find, close their eyes and look the other way and they won't.