Aston Villa beat Rotherham United 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Conor Hourihane of Aston Villa
Aston Villa made it three win in a row on Saturday afternoon as they beat Rotherham United 2-0 at the New York Stadium.
Villa had endured a miserable start to 2017 with no wins in their first nine games of the new year, but 1-0 and 2-0 home wins over Derby County and Bristol City respectively had boosted Steve Bruce’s men.
On Saturday, Villa were back on the road again as they travelled to take on Rotherham United, the Championship’s bottom club – and Villa returned with all three points.
After a tight first half, Villa struck the opener when Will Vaulks diverted Conor Hourihane’s effort into his own net, and they sealed a 2-0 win as Jonathan Kodjia cut in from the left to smash hoe a second.
With three wins on the bounce, Villa are now on the fringes of the top half, and any lingering possibility of a relegation scrap have surely been put to bed.
During and after the game, Villa fans took to Twitter to offer their views on the performance, and many singled out midfielder Hourihane for praise after playing a role in both goals.
Conor Hourihane of Aston Villa celebrates against Rotherham
The Irish midfielder, 26, joined Villa from Barnsley in January having starred for the Tykes, and reunited with his former Sunderland boss Bruce by making the move to Villa Park.
After bagging his first goal for the club against Bristol City in midweek, Hourihane was influential again as Villa beat Rotherham, with fans lauding him.
Supporters believe Hourihane is just what Villa have been missing in midfield, praising him for his improvement in recent weeks, particularly with his performance against Rotherham.
What did you think of Hourihane’s performance against Rotherham?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
