Matt Maher: Belief is key as Unai Emery's Aston Villa hit comeback trail again

For just about an hour, Wolves handled Villa in a way few others have during Unai Emery’s reign.

The biggest criticism which could be aimed at Gary O’Neil’s men was they were not winning by more than Matheus Cunha’s 25th-minute opener.

But when the tide turned, Wolves were washed away in wave after wave of Villa attack. Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran all scored as the visitors crumbled and the hosts stormed back to win from a losing position for the second weekend running.

Villa have won four of their first five Premier League matches, equalling their best start to a season since 1998.

Wolves, by contrast, haven’t begun this badly since 2003 and while it remains early days and a tough fixture list provides some modicum of mitigation, there are just the first sounds of a few alarm bells ringing.

A propensity to concede goals – it is now 17 Premier League matches without a clean sheet stretching back to February – is not the only concerning pattern.

Just as against Chelsea and Newcastle, Wolves performed rather well in periods but were unable to deliver a complete performance.

Again, they faded badly. Watkins’ equaliser came as much from Duran’s desire to win a loose ball than the preceding, unfortunate flick off Mario Lemina.

Of the 14 league goals Wolves have conceded this season, 10 have come in the second half including seven from the 73rd minute and beyond.

Confidence, of course, was only one factor in Saturday’s result. Quality played its part too, with Emery able to change the course of the match from the dugout with the second-half introductions of Duran, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley.

That Villa can call on greater

reserves of talent is not in dispute, yet it doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be scrutiny of whether O’Neil is currently getting the maximum out of the resources which are at his disposal.

Whatever changes he made in the second half were unable to stem the flow. Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia, two of the visitors’ more experienced attacking players, remained on the bench with the two forwards who were introduced, Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo Gomes, unable to provide an outlet.

When the ball hit Lemina seconds before Villa’s equaliser, he was Wolves’ most advanced player, still 15 yards inside his own half, such was the extent to which O’Neil’s team had been pinned back. So relentless was the pressure, the result became inevitable.

The frustration of defeat was further added to by what appeared a nasty injury suffered by Yerson Mosquera, who left the field on a stretcher, left leg in a brace, after being clattered into by Morgan Rogers.

Focus again falls on Wolves’ summer business but while the failure to replace captain Max Kilman is not O’Neil’s fault, it is his problem to solve, one which will only get harder should Mosquera be ruled out for an extended period.

The volume of goals conceded means the question of whether Wolves need a change of structure at the back, a reversion to the three-man defence which worked so well last season, is only getting louder.

For all that Villa are flying, having won five of their opening six matches in all competitions, Emery knows he also has issues to address.

The home manager stomped off down the tunnel before the half-time whistle had even blown and later admitted he had never been angrier with a performance since first walking through the doors of Villa Park, nearly two years ago.

Villa’s comeback once again demonstrated their character, but what also impressed was their composure. At no point did they panic, such was their conviction at some point they would make the breakthrough.

By the same token, Emery will know they cannot afford to keep giving opponents head starts. Though superior quality might mean they can afford to play well only in patches against Everton and Wolves, the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United, the next two visitors to Villa Park, are likely to be far less forgiving.

All four of Villa’s league wins have come against teams who, on early season form, look likely to be battling at the wrong end of the table. Tougher tests undoubtedly await.

Wolves aren’t the only team with a habit for conceding goals. It is now 10 Premier League matches without a clean sheet for Villa and while for the second weekend they fell behind to a shot from outside the box, Cunha replicating Dwight McNeil’s heroics for Everton, it came from conceding possession cheaply, Diego Carlos’ poor pass being pounced on by his fellow Brazilian. A growing question for Emery, meanwhile, is at what point do his finishers become starters?

Duran scored for the fourth time in five substitute appearances while Barkley, another player who has had to make do with coming off the bench, again made a big impact after replacing fellow midfielder Amadou Onana.

So too did Ian Maatsen, the £37.5million summer signing who submitted his strongest case yet for more playing time. You suspect all three will get another extended chance to impress in tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup tie at

Wycombe.

The hamstring injury which is expected to rule John McGinn out for several weeks also may provide more opportunities, with Leon Bailey’s return to fitness timely.

Emery’s advantage is the versatility of his squad with several players able to perform in more than one position.

O’Neil last month compared his unit to a wild horse he was still trying to tame and three defeats later there is clearly still work to do.

The immediate road ahead gets no easier, with home matches against Liverpool and Manchester City either side of a trip to Brentford.

Last season it was the home fixture against City which brought O’Neil’s reign to life in stunning fashion. A year on, he and Wolves appear in need of a similar kind of spark.