No stopping Grealish: Five things learned as Villa beat Birmingham 4-2

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Aston Villa got the better of their bitter rivals with a 4-2 win over Birmingham City.

After a tense opening half an hour in which Villa dominated possession, Birmingham took the lead through Lukas Jutkiewicz. But it would last less than 10 minutes with Jonathan Kodjia equalising.

And the game was turned on his head just moments later with Jack Grealish putting Villa 2-1 up at half-time.

Tammy Abraham doubled Villa’s advantage shortly after the break from the penalty spot, having been fouled by Michael Morrison inside the area.

Kristian Pedersen pulled a goal back for Birmingham just five minutes later, but Alan Hutton secured the three points with a brilliant goal, picking the ball up inside his own half before powering through the defence and finishing past Lee Camp.

Here are five things we learned from the exhilarating Second City Derby.

1. There’s no stopping Jack Grealish

When Jack Grealish is on his game and wants to prove a point, there is no stopping the 23-year-old.

The midfielder had a quiet start to the game as he was targeted early by Birmingham’s players, spending more time on the floor having been kicked, than he did on the ball.

And for a while, it looked like this would be Villa’s downfall, as they struggled to make the most of their possession without Grealish’s impact.

But then something clicked, Grealish had clearly had enough of the rough tactics on himself and pulled his socks up – well, not literally.

After Jonathan Kodjia drew Villa level, Grealish smelled blood in the Birmingham ranks and looked to push forward more off the ball, giving Tammy Abraham the support he needed in attack.

And it took him only two minutes to get on the scoresheet, ghosting in at the back post unnoticed to put Villa ahead.

It was only his second goal of the season, which will see Grealish still draw criticism on his abilities to play at the top level, but the midfielder will not care one jot right now.

2. Birmingham’s revival continues despite defeat

Garry Monk had endured a tough start to his first full season in charge of Birmingham, having to wait until mid-September for the first win of the campaign, and looked to be leading the club to another relegation battle.

But something eventually clicked for Monk and the Blues would go on to win four of their past eight games prior to Sunday’s Second City derby, to push themselves up the table.

Birmingham went into Sunday’s game level with their rivals in the Championship table, but were still considerable outsiders for the win given the past form of the two sides.

However, the Blues showed they were not at Villa Park to just make up the numbers and were fully deserving of their lead after 30 minutes. Despite not seeing too much of the ball, Birmingham were comfortable in allowing Villa to play their game, waiting for the perfect moment to counter or cause trouble from set pieces.

And even when Villa went 3-1 up, Birmingham’s heads did not drop, as they stuck to their gameplan and pulled a goal back within five minutes.

Though the Second City derby would end in defeat for Birmingham, the Blues showed what they are made of and will have no problems in stabilising under Monk.

3. Albert Adomah proves there is more to Villa than Grealish

With Grealish being kicked off the pitch for the large part of the first half, and Birmingham taking the lead, Villa were in danger of being bullied by their bitter rivals at Villa Park.

But then, Albert Adomah stepped up to take the attacking responsibilities down the right, and what a decisive factor he proved to be. Villa’s equaliser came as a result of Adomah and Alan Hutton pushing Wes Harding string, with the former getting close to the byline before sending a looping ball into the box which eventually fell to Kodjia.

Just minutes late, Villa were ahead, and once again Adomah was key to the goal. Giving himself space on the right, Adomah cut back inside and curled a brilliant ball towards the far post which evaded every defender to fall onto the head of Grealish.

Adomah continued to be a threat up until a hard challenge by Harding meant he could not carry on, limping off with an ankle injury, a shame for Villa as he had done so much for his side.

Grealish is often expected to be the key man for Villa every game, but Adomah reminded fans there is more to the club than their midfielder.

4. Lukas Jutkiewicz is Birmingham’s man yet again

Despite Villa dominating possession, in the opening 30 minutes of the match it was Birmingham to had the better goalscoring chances, and it was largely down to the presence of Lukas Jutkiewicz.

The striker has been in good form of late, combining well with Che Adams up front for the Blues to help Garry Monk’s side turn the season around after a slow start.

Jutkiewicz was proving himself to be a hassle for Villa’s defenders at set pieces, and it was from a corner which he gave the away side the lead.

Peeling away from the marker at the back post, Jutkiewicz was unmarked as he side-footed the ball through the legs of Tammy Abraham on the goal line and into the back of the net.

The goal was Jutkiewicz’s ninth in his past nine Championship appearances and 10th in the league all season. Only Brentford’s Neal Maupay (12) has scored more goals than Jutkiewicz this season.

5. Villa happy to live dangerously for win

Dean Smith has Villa playing exciting, expansive football, and Sunday’s game shows the club are willing to take risks in order to secure three points – especially against their bitter rivals.

In the opening 30 minutes, Villa enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but offered little to their fans in terms of goalscoring threats. Birmingham had set up to profit on any mistakes Villa made and that is exactly what they did for their opening goal.

Playing out from the back, James Chester lost the ball in his own half and had to race back to save face and settle for a corner. But, from that corner, Jutkiewicz put Birmingham ahead.

Villa really should have gone 2-0 down five minutes later, as Grealish, this time, lost the ball near his own area in a move which resulted in Che Adams hitting the post. Moments later, the Villans were 2-1 up.

Even at 3-1, gaps still appeared in the Villa defence, resulting in Birmingham’s second goal as Smith’s side continued with their attacking approach. And it would ultimately pay off with Villa winning 4-2.

It may give Villa fans nightmares at times, but Smith’s apparent gameplan of scoring more than the opposition has the club on the up.

The post No stopping Grealish: Five things learned as Villa beat Birmingham 4-2 appeared first on Squawka News.



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