View: It’s been two years since Aston Villa achieved the seemingly impossible – but can they do it again?
Aston Villa had a party on the London Stadium pitch two years ago today as they celebrated securing Premier League survival against West Ham.
A goal from captain Jack Grealish was enough to secure their status – even with a freak Andriy Yarmolenko equaliser straight from the next kick-off.
Pepe Reina was belting out La Bamba in the dressing room, Dean Smith proudly declared he and Grealish would get drunk together and you could feel the elation from Villa.
It was a memorable day even without fans present, with many believing they had achieved the impossible in securing survival.
Villa had turned around a seven-point deficit with four games to go, knowing that one defeat in their closing fixtures would almost certainly mean relegation.
However, the gap between their current goal and where they are now is much more significant.
Can they do it again?
It is no secret that Villa see themselves as a top-six club in waiting after seeing how West Ham and Leicester broke into the European positions in recent years.
However, even with the heavy investment poured into the club by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens since 2019, the gap between them and the big time seems massive.
Villa finished 14th under Steven Gerrard last season after the Liverpool legend replaced Smith in November, a significant step back from the season before.
Gerrard responded by drafting in Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos as well as Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal.
Even with those high-profile signings and the strong squad Villa already had on paper, the glamour of Europe still seems some way off.
Their rivals have strengthened too, with Brentford drafting in talented starlets and Leeds United completely overhauling their squad.
The reality is that Villa have not finished in the top half of the Premier League since 2011 and have not qualified for Europe since 2010.
Villa have missed several opportunities to at least return to the top half in the last decade, but they have to take this one.
While some fans may be expecting more for such a large investment, the competition for each place in the Premier League is more intense than ever.
Only when Villa break their top half curse can they begin to expect European football again.
In other Aston Villa news, Kortney Hause is wanted by Watford.