Five days is a long time in football. Last Thursday, Aston Villa were left desolate when Theo Walcott’s equaliser at Goodison Park appeared to have inflicted a fatal wound in their effort to escape relegation. But now they have control of their destiny after a deserved, battling win in which Arsenal rarely came close to puncturing a marvellously drilled back line. Watford’s heavy defeat to Manchester City earlier in the evening gave Villa an opening they took with relish, performing with admirable rigour and scoring an excellent first-half decider through Mahmoud Trezeguet. As a result, they are now outside the relegation zone for the first time since late February. Related: Watford's survival hopes hit as Raheem Sterling sparks Manchester City rout Related: West Ham rule out swapping Rice for Chelsea's Barkley and Batshuayi Continue readingreadfullarticle
