Eniola Aluko reacts as Aston Villa draw with Manchester City after miserable run
Eniola Aluko was delighted for Aston Villa and manager Steven Gerrard after the 1-1 draw with Manchester City ended a run of three defeats in the Premier League.
Leon Bailey’s equaliser, smashed into the top corner from Jacob Ramsey’s centre, cancelled out Erling Haaland’s opener and landed the embattled manager an unlikely point against the champions from an improved display.
Gerrard was also furious that referee Simon Hooper blew the whistle for an incorrect offside flag before Philippe Coutinho fired a long-range strike in off the bar for what could have been the winner, but former Villa Women sporting director Aluko was focused on the positive.
Writing on her personal Twitter account following the final whistle on Saturday night (3 September) she said: “HUGE result today for Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa tonight. Huge. And a good platform for a positive run now. Delighted for them.”
Growth
The midweek loss to Arsenal had brought with it boos from the crowd and a suggestion that time might already be running out on the manager.
Losing four of the first five matches in the top flight had seen the Villans come into the daunting clash with City, with Haaland netting back-to-back hat-tricks in his previous two outings, sitting in 19th place.
The point only puts them up to 17th, but with winnable games against bottom side Leicester and Southampton next up it puts the side in a much better psychological position to approach those matches.
In some ways the pressure was off at Villa Park in the late kick-off and anything was a bonus, so having bagged a draw the pressure is now on a game where they go in as favourites.
While results have been bad the lacklustre nature of the performances have been more concerning, so having proved they can still mix it with the best in the division should be a significant boost.
They are far from out of the hole they have fallen into through 2022 but this is at least a step in the right direction, and Aluko is right that it provides a platform to get back towards where the club aims to be.
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell says Gerrard needs to win at least one of the next two games or his job is in danger.