Aston Villa’s derby win over Wolves was a tale of two halves. The first was everything you expect in this fixture. Wolves flying into tackles, Larsen bullying the back line, and Villa drifting through the opening forty minutes with an air of casualness. The turning point arrived when Emi Martinez produced a double save to keep the game level and stop Wolves gaining a foothold.

The second half belonged to Villa. Kamara’s top-corner screamer lit the place up, exactly the moment of quality the afternoon had been begging for. From there Villa pressed higher, forced Wolves deeper and finally imposed their rhythm. Ollie Watkins and Donyell Marlen gave the front line purpose, the midfield tightened up and the atmosphere switched from frustrated to defiant.

In this episode the podcast digs into why Villa started so slowly, how Martinez’s intervention changed everything, Marlen’s tough afternoon leading the line, Watkins’ impact from the bench and the tactical tweaks Emery made to drag the game back. There is also talk of the VAR stamp incident, Villa’s remarkable home form and the growing pattern of grinding out league wins straight after European nights.

It was not pretty but it was the kind of win top four sides collect without apology. Leeds and Wolves beaten back to back. Six points banked. Emery satisfied. And Villa waking up at the right moments with the season about to hit full throttle.

UTV

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