Although it was disappointing to suffer defeat against Arsenal last weekend at Villa Park, few will have walked away too dispirited.
It was a good display from a Villa side that, despite PSR-restricted summer transfer activity, is developing very nicely indeed.
Former Everton midfielder Onana continues to impress, catching the eye as much for his impressive interplay as his sheer physical presence. Torres and Konsa seem a solid centre-back pairing too, evidenced by both receiving call-ups to Spain and England respectively.
Digne, Tielemans and particularly the eye catching form of Morgan Rogers provide huge cause for optimism.
There are of course some head-scratchers, but that’s football.
Ollie Watkins will want to put two poor misses against the Gunners behind him. Our top marksman has looked every bit like a player who’s arrived into the campaign after the rigours of a Euros and having missed a chunk of pre-season with it.