Aston Villa battered Championship high-flyers Bristol City 5-0 on New Year’s Day to ease the pressure on Steve Bruce…or maybe not.
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia was understandably delighted as his side produced arguably their finest display under Steve Bruce to batter promotion-chasing high-flyers Bristol City 5-0 on New Year’s Day.
Robert Snodgrass hit the target twice while there were also goals for Birkir Bjarnason, Scott Hogan and Conor Hourihane as Villa kick-started 2018 in perfect fashion.
And Xia was only too impressed by his side’s stunning win, just days after he called for a major improvement following the club’s ‘disaster month’, which had seen them pick up just three points in the first five games of December.
Yet, even a performance full of positivity did not have each and every Villa supporter toasting the New Year with a grin from ear to ear. There remains a feeling that under-fire manager Bruce has not got the best out of the hugely talented squad at his disposal on a consistent basis.
And some fans are fearful that this five-goal thrashing of an excellent Bristol City side will be nothing other than a false dawn unless Bruce permanently alters his usually rudimentary tactics.
The harsh reality is that this is one of the first times this season that Villa have actually played to their potential. A side boasting the proven Championship talents of Snodgrass, Hourihane, Henri Lansbury, Jack Grealish and co have no excuse not to be fighting right at the top of the table.
And even though Villa are fifth right now, just five points behind Derby County in second, Bruce still has a lot to do to prove he is the right man to get the best out of this team.
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