Different week, different challenge, and a very important three points as Villa found their way back from an early deficit against an aggressive and physical side that was just lacking that bit of quality up front.

That said, I don’t want to take anything away from Villa: that’s a very easy match to lose, never mind the start. As many have noted, animated crowd baying for blood, a definite derby feel to the intensity, and the kind of opponent against which we often struggle.

I didn’t really agree with the lazy takes I was hearing on TV. I thought Villa did respond to the scrappy and foul-spirited approach. But, as we know, there aren’t many hard men in the side. I do tend to think we shy out of a number of 50-50s, and often let players go by a bit too easily. I also don’t know whether Emery doesn’t want them giving up a lot of free kicks.

It was better after the half, of course. Villa got a bit more width and pace with Malen, Maatsen and the subsequent reshuffling. There was a quicker, more direct approach, which is what we often see after a deliberate first half. It obviously paid dividends. You hate to keep relying on that kind of turnaround, but you can see it’s something Emery knows they’ve got.

And it can wrong-foot teams who have prepared to stop us playing through the middle. We did get several looks, but weren’t particularly clinical. Of them all, Rogers’ first was definitely the most difficult chance to convert. Excellent assist from Malen, whose positive run Cash invited neatly.

The flip-side of course is that the game becomes more open, and with Leeds’ changes, James in particular, it was a nervy watch down the stretch, particularly before replays showed that Calvert-Lewin managed to get his hand involved in the disallowed equalizer right after we’d gone ahead.

Not surprisingly, Leeds were most threatening from set pieces, and Longstaff’s delivery was consistently dangerous.

Martinez, of course, will be questioned for their goal, which is fair. But he responde well with a couple big saves and controlled his area comfortably thereafter.

Ollie, well…We obviously still aren’t creating a lot of clear-cut chances for him. When he got himself open for a clean look in the second, I thought, “Here it comes, finally” only to see a rather tame, low effort that didn’t really test the keeper. Watching back, the curler at the end of the first half was probably a better opportunity, and it would’ve been a lovely way to get going again.

For Rogers, obviously a very welcome return to form in front of goal. That was a really fine finish for the first, and then a sublime free kick that seems to be something cooked up at Bodymoor. It was almost a carbon copy of Buendia’s strike in its knuckleball effect, though closer looks reveal Buendia hit his with his laces while Rogers side-footed. Regardless, the keepers were rooted in both cases and Rogers went right over to MacPhee.

Basically, it was tactics and superior individual quality that shone through on a day of few truly gilt-edged chances. Villa showed character and resilience in a hostile environment against a desperate side, and I’m with Emery in being very, very happy. We’ve got one half of our main goal-scoring duo coming back into form, and fingers crossed Ollie soon follows. The odds have to be in his favor by now.

Now of course it’s Young Boys coming right up followed by Wolves. The first third of what could be a very important week has gone Villa’s way. Carry the momentum through and Villa will find themselves in pretty decent shape on the two most important fronts. Given our obvious shortcomings in more than one department, it all remains rather remarkable.

Over to you.