Five things we learned as Aston Villa beat Middlesbrough

It was pretty much a perfect away performance from Aston Villa, who edged past Middlesbrough at the Riverside stadium on a mild Saturday evening, as Villa now have one foot in the playoff final. Here are five takeaways…

Defensive experience will always shine

Steve Bruce had pretty much a full-strength squad to choose from, and his back five did him proud. Will this back unit come to be the difference? Only time will tell, but I thought the experience of our defence really shone through, and thought Mile Jedinak, in particular, was a rock, protecting that back four. His selection over Glenn Whelan was justified with his goal.

READ MORE: Jedinak gives Bruce’s men advantage

Alan Hutton continues to surprise

Staying with the defence, I am very glad he’s fit right now. I have been a huge critic of Hutton, especially during his spell with Villa in the Premier League, but he was brilliant against the energetic Adams Traore. When Traore swapped wings to get away from Hutton, Bruce made the same switch. Hutton still has fantastic pace and energy, and dealt with Traore perfectly. There is no doubt Traore is a talent, I still think it’s a shame he’s not a Villan.

Jack Grealish can be a superstar

What is this man worth? At the moment, he’s priceless to Villa. He has transformed as a player this season, and his ability to run with the ball, hold up play, win fouls and pick a pass was a massive reason Villa won. His dazzling runs took the pressure off the defence and Boro couldn’t let him out of their sight. He’s Villa’s key man.

Jonathan Kodjia is still rusty

Kodjia played the last 25 mins but he still doesn’t look like anywhere near the Kodjia of last season. He looks like he’s lost a lot of his swagger, and I would have rather have had Davis ahead of him. He has had a serious injury, so hopefully during the summer he can put more hours in so he’s ready for next season.

We still get nervous

So, it was a near perfect display, but Villa did sit back for over 20 minutes and invited wave after wave of Boro attacks. Our defence was excellent as I mentioned, but this tactic has haunted Villa through the years and sitting back for so long only invited danger. I am not sure I could stand for another 20 mins at the end next Tuesday if Villa do the same and Boro just need one goal!

It’s now on to Tuesday, with Boro having to come out of the blocks and attack Villa from the off. Our record at Villa Park is very good, but not against Boro. The tie is teed up nicely. Let’s hope our defence can put another shift in, and take us to the final. Up The Villa!