Once again the team in claret and blue stirred their supporters with edge-of-the-seat, free-flowing football fed from the flanks – only this time it wasn’t Villa.

Burnley chief Owen Coyle hailed Martin O’Neill’s route to managerial stardom as the blueprint for any budding boss in the build-up to this contest and his team, likewise, had so many of the hallmarks of the Villa team who have thrilled so often this term.

Just as Villa tore into Manchester City, Chelsea and most recently Bolton in front of the home masses so did the Clarets on Saturday.

It was easy to see why Manchester United and Everton are among the five sides who have already left Lancashire with nothing this season. On paper it may have looked a mismatch. But, make no mistake, this was a point gained for Villa.

Martin O’Neill insisted afterwards it was a merited one but after being second best for the entire first half and improving only slightly after the break, there could have been few arguments had they become the sixth side out of seven to be turfed out of Turf Moor with nothing.

Emile Heskey’s 86th-minute equaliser – his first claret and blue goal since April – literally came out of nothing and the wild celebrations which ensued were more relief than anything else. At last Villa had been the ones who snatched something.

After recently allowing points to slip through their grasp late on at Blackburn, Wolves and West Ham, how satisfying to see the roles reversed. Yes, it might be five without a win on the road in the top flight but they have been beaten just twice in their seven league away games to date.

It will, of course, have to improve if they are to mount and maintain a serious challenge for the Champions League spots. But, while their home form continues to be so impressive, solitary points on their travels will keep them in the mix.

Next weekend promises to be one of their toughest challenges of the campaign against a Tottenham side who will still be basking in the glory of yesterday’s remarkable 9-1 demolition of Wigan.

With Manchester City and Liverpool struggling somewhat of late, it is Spurs who currently look Villa’s biggest challengers for fourth so next Saturday’s Villa Park showdown should be a barometer of where Villa stand.

Having beaten Liverpool and Chelsea and drawn with City, it should certainly hold no fear for O’Neill’s side. It was at this time last year that they strung together a 13-game unbeaten run which ran through to February.

As the season begins to enter what the Villa boss has already described as a defining stage, how he would love history to repeat itself. Certainly, there is a chance. But for two last-gasp goals they would be unbeaten since the opening-day defeat to Wigan.

This result proved the character and commitment within this Villa team and the surprise introduction of Stewart Downing weeks ahead of schedule is another huge boost going into this vital period. But it does hand O’Neill a major dilemma over exactly where to play his three England wingers – Downing, James Milner and Ashley Young.

Considering they are his three most expensive signings, it is almost impossible to see him leaving any of them out. Whatever O’Neill decides, you can be sure he will regularly rotate the three around positions anyway.

But the smart money would be on left-footer Downing taking over from Young down the left, right-footer Young moving to the right and Milner returning to the central position he played in regularly during the early days of his career.

His endless energy supply would certainly be welcomed alongside Stiliyan Petrov and moving into the middle would also give him a better chance of becoming the goalscoring midfielder Villa need.

The hope was that Steve Sidwell would fill that void this term but it hasn’t materialised and, after some mediocre displays, his place now looks under threat from Downing. Having captained the side to that 5-1 thrashing of Bolton a fortnight ago, Nigel Reo-Coker could count himself unfortunate to have been the one to have given way for Petrov’s return.

That was the only change to the side with James Collins again ruled out with injury and how Villa could have done with the Welshman when they fell behind after just nine minutes.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel and Richard Dunne, who appeared to be suffering a hangover from the Republic of Ireland’s heartbreaking World Cup defeat in Paris, were both culpable when Steven Caldwell got in between them to head Robbie Blake’s free-kick into the empty net. The goalscorer appeared offside but there was no excuse for the defending.

It was one-way traffic as buccaneering Burnley went on wave after wave of attacks in Villa-esque fashion. Andre Bikey was a whisker away from a stunning second with a volley from Steven Fletcher’s knock-down just beyond the post.

But counter-attacking is an art Villa have mastered, and they almost went into half-time level. There was always going to be one winner in the race between Gabby Agbonlahor and Brian ‘The Beast’ Jensen in the race to a ball stranded on the left edge of the area on 40 minutes.

With the Clarets keeper in no man’s land, Agbonlahor cut the ball back to Ashley Young yet he could only curl a yard over the bar with a defender to beat on the line.

While Villa improved after the break they remained second best. Tyrone Mears was inches away with a curling free-kick but it took a stunning stop from Jensen to tip an Agbonlahor shot around the post. But the save of the game belonged to Friedel, who somehow kept out a brilliant curler from Fletcher.

Downing then lifted Villa in the opposition half and added some urgency to the play, and it was from his initial corner that the equaliser arrived.

Jensen could only fist the winger’s centre back out to Milner, who was by now playing at right-back, and his inviting cross to the back post left Heskey with the simplest of headers.

Conceding a late goal? Burnley really are just like Villa.