Analysis: No hiding growing excitement after Aston Villa blow away Boro

There was certainly no other conclusion to be drawn after Villa returned from the Riverside with a 3-0 win which wasn’t even as close as that scoreline suggests.

A contest which pitted the Championship’s most in-form attack against its meanest defence turned out to be shockingly one-sided, as Dean Smith’s men delivered the biggest statement yet of their promotion credentials.

Nobody, of course, needed telling about Villa’s firepower. Not after a week which had already seen them plunder nine goals in the space of just 180 minutes.

Few, however, could have predicted the manner of their win against a Boro team who went into the match having conceded just 10 league goals in 19 games and kept a division high 11 clean sheets.

The numbers are, frankly, becoming eye-popping. Villa have now scored 15 goals in their last four games, an average of one every 24 minutes.

Tammy Abraham has seven of them though the striker, while arguably in the form of his life, is far from the only weapon at Smith’s disposal.

James Chester’s opener on Saturday was his fourth of the campaign, while Glenn Whelan became the 12th different Villa player to find the net this season after coming off the bench to seal the points late on, with what was only his second goal in seven years.

But while it is Villa’s attack which might currently be making the headlines and giving their rivals sleepless night, it is what happened at the other end of the pitch which will have pleased Smith the most, as his team recorded a much-needed clean sheet. Last Wednesday’s 5-5 draw with Nottingham Forest might have delivered entertainment but such chaos is not to the head coach’s liking.

At Boro, Villa showed their aggression in a far more controlled manner, using guile and patience to exploit the weakness of their hosts while also retaining their own stability.

Conor Hourihane was particularly influential in a deep-lying midfield role.

Considering his struggles less than 72 hours earlier against Forest, it would not have been a huge surprise to see Irish international dropped and perhaps replaced by Whelan, his more experienced countryman. Smith’s decision to keep faith with the younger man proved the right call as Hourihane delivered a performance full of composure, providing vital protection to Villa’s back four and regularly snuffing out what little threat Boro’s rather pedestrian attack had to offer.

It was a performance which earned Hourihane one of the season’s more hotly-contested man-of-the-match prizes.

Anwar El Ghazi must also have been in with a shout, following an excellent display in what was his first start since mid-September and first under Smith.

Over the space of just four days, the Dutch winger has established himself as a valuable and exciting member of the squad.

El Ghazi’s willingness to track back and get involved in the defensive third, a trait not always evident during his first Championship forays back in August, epitomised Villa’s tireless work-rate and spirit. Everyone seems desperate to play their part.

There was also redemption, if that is the right word, for Axel Tuanzebe, who rebounded from his poorest performance of the season against Forest by delivering perhaps his best at the Riverside.

Matching the home side’s physical approach was always going to be imperative for Villa and Tuanzebe, together with central defensive partner James Chester, more than did that.

The visitors were also surprisingly successful in negating the potential threat posed by Boro’s height advantage, conceding only two corners during the course of 90 minutes.

When, with 10 minutes remaining, Jordan Hugill was finally able to register a serious attempt on goal, the much-maligned Orjan Nyland was there to brilliantly push the striker’s shot on to the underside of the bar.

The Norwegian international had entered the game with his position again under the spotlight and though this couldn’t be described as the perfect riposte to his critics – he spilled a couple of crosses – it was still a night which has hopefully repaired a little confidence.

It was a result which ensured Villa remain within striking distance of the top six and one achieved under a little pressure, after results earlier in the day had opened up the gap to six points.

For all the growing excitement around them, there remains a lot of hard work to be done if they are to keep climbing the table.

The immediate fixture list remains tough, with Albion, Stoke and Leeds the next three opponents. Yet on Villa’s current form, such matches must only be seen as an opportunity.

Slowly, the promotion race is beginning to take shape. The table, for now, remains tight, yet the gaps which were barely visible only a few weeks ago are beginning to widen little by little as the genuine contenders begin to show their hand.

Norwich continue to plough on at the top while Leeds, in second, have recovered from an inconsistent period to win three on the spin. Albion will tonight go in search of their fourth consecutive victory.

Villa’s form over the past month matches anything produced by those teams and it is arguable no-one has put in finer away performances than those Smith’s men delivered at Derby or Boro.

A sluggish start to the season might have left them still playing catch-up, yet there can be no disguising the sense something special may be happening. Right at this moment, anything seems possible.