Aston Villa are choking - and revived Man Utd must take advantage to keep top-four dream alive

Villa Park was a fortress in the first half of the season, and Emery's side went into their fixture against rock-bottom Sheffield United on December 22 knowing a win would take them top of the Premier League. Villa had picked up a club-record 15 successive victories on home soil, and were overwhelming favourites to extend that run, but the Blades didn't read the pre-match script.

Sheffield United silenced the crowd in the 87th minute when Cameron Archer scored from close range, after spending the majority of the game camped in their own half. With just seconds remaining in stoppage-time, Nicolas Zaniolo grabbed an equaliser to spare Villa's blushes, but it was still a huge missed opportunity.

Four days later, Villa went to Old Trafford aiming to bounce back, and raced into a two-goal lead inside 30 minutes, only to capitulate in the second half as United completed a thrilling 3-2 comeback win. Complacency set in and the Red Devils ended up bulldozing Villa, who were fortunate the scoreline wasn't a lot wider in the end.

It was a similar story in the 3-1 reversal against Newcastle at the end of January, as Villa lost their unbeaten home record after another uninspired display in attack and defence. Emery's men looked tired, flat-footed, and devoid of the adventurous spirit that had underpinned their brilliant start to the season.

Of all Villa's recent performances, though, the loss to Chelsea was the most alarming. Mauricio Pochettino's disjointed team are sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League standings, and went into the game off the back of a humiliating home defeat to Wolves.

There are 15 points currently separating Villa and Chelsea, but there was certainly no evident gulf in class on Wednesday. In fact, it was the Blues who were technically and physically superior on the night, as Villa gave away possession cheaply and lost the majority of second balls.

So what exactly has changed for Villa? For one thing, Emery is still playing with more less the same starting XI week in, week out. Fatigue is becoming a serious problem, and it'll only get worse once the Conference League resumes later this month.

Villa are not blessed with the same depth as their top-four rivals, and Emery clearly doesn't dare to risk any significant rotation - a stance he may have to soften to inspire a return to form. But it does also feel like a number of star players have taken their foot off the gas.

The likes of Douglas Luiz, Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans all dazzled in Villa's 5-0 win at Sheffield United on February 3 to right the wrongs of their December meeting. There is still so much quality in this Villa squad, and tiredness is not a good enough excuse for how little they've flexed their full power over the past two months.

Whether it's down to a lack of inner-belief or a case of imposter syndrome, with certain stars starting to crack under the weight of increased expectation, only Emery will know. But he's worked with plenty of big names and personalities over the course of his career, and must come up with the answers.

Villa's unsung hero under Emery has undoubtedly been Ezri Konsa, who stepped up admirably after Tyrone Mings suffered an ACL injury in their opening game of the season. Konsa has remained in his favoured right-back position for the most part, but has looked equally assured when filling in at centre-half, with his general positioning and decision-making right up there with the best defenders in English football.

Konsa had been ever-present for Villa in the Premier League this term, until an unfortunate collision with the post during their recent win over Sheffield United left him with a sprained knee. Emery has since confirmed that the 26-year-old is facing "three or four weeks" on the sidelines, meaning he could miss Villa's next four games.

Villa looked significantly weaker in his absence against Chelsea. Pau Torres is the man most likely to replace Konsa, and he was back on the bench in the FA Cup tie, but didn't see any minutes, and clearly needs a bit more time to return to full fitness after missing five games through injury himself.

Even then, Torres will struggle to fill the void left by Konsa, who has proven himself as a superb all-round defender and athlete, as reflected by his integration into the England squad. With Mings still working towards a firm return date and Lucas Digne also on the treatment table, United will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing Villa's depleted defensive line.

United produced their best showing of the entire 2023-24 campaign against Villa at Old Trafford after Alejandro Garnacho was moved over to the right wing ahead of Brazilian flop Antony. Finally the Red Devils had some proper zip to their play in the final third, and Villa couldn't cope, with Garnacho scoring a quick-fire brace to lead their fightback before Rasmus Hojlund popped up to bag the winner - and his first-ever Premier League goal.

The hosts were unfortunate to go in at the break two goals down, and had no problem moving up one more gear to overpower Villa. United will fancy their chances of earning a far more comfortable victory on Sunday at a venue that no longer has the same fear factor it did in the early months of the season.

Garnacho and Hojlund will certainly be determined to silence the Villa Park crowd as they continue to build an exciting partnership. The United duo linked up to great effect again during the 3-0 win over West Ham last time out, and were backed up by an improved Marcus Rashford, who seems to have shaken himself back into life after being punished for an ill-advised drinking binge in Belfast.

That renewed attacking spark has eased pressure on Ten Hag as United have racked up five wins from their last seven games, and the Dutchman has also been boosted by the return of key personnel. The Red Devils look much more solid defensively with Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire back in the fold, and confidence is building in the squad for the first time this season.

The only downside is the fact Lisandro Martinez won't continue to be part of the revival, with the Argentine having suffered another serious knock against West Ham, but United do have enough defensive cover to cope, and with the goals now flowing, it might not prove to be too huge a loss.

The United player Villa should be most afraid of is Kobbie Mainoo, the 18-year-old academy graduate who has all the necessary tools to become one of the best midfielders of his generation. He missed the opening months of the campaign due to an ankle problem, and United were cautious with his recovery, with Ten Hag eventually handing the youngster his first Premier League start away at Everton in December.

Garnacho took most of the plaudits that day after scoring a quite magnificent overhead kick to set United on their way to a 3-0 triumph, but Mainoo was the orchestrator. He has often been compared to Paul Pogba while rising through the Old Trafford ranks, and it's clear he boasts the same composure and close control as the Frenchman did in his prime years.

Pogba had a tendency to drift in and out of games, though, especially at United, and didn't put his body on the line for the collective cause. Mainoo seems to be more of a team player, with a tenacious, aggressive streak that pushes him to go pedal to the metal from the first second he steps onto the pitch to the last.

The England Under-19 international is also capable of deciding games on his own, as he showed during United's tip to Wolves on February 1. Ten Hag's side looked destined to slump to a disappointing 3-3 draw after a stoppage-time equaliser from Pedro Neto, only for Mainoo to curl an unstoppable shot into the far corner moments later, after dancing past three defenders.

Hojlund called Mainoo a "generational talent" after the game, which is not an over-exaggeration. Keeping the teenager quiet has to be Emery's first priority if Villa are to have any hope of halting United's momentum.

Ten Hag has got a lot wrong during his United reign, but his approach to the development of younger players like Mainoo and Garnacho is starting to reap rewards. "People must recognise the position we are in, we are Manchester United and we are building a team," Ten Hag said after United's win against West Ham.

The Red Devils have a good blend of youth and experience in the squad, which holds them in good stead to finish the season strongly. But they simply cannot afford to post their 10th Premier League loss of the season at Villa.

If United fall 11 points off the top-four pace, their Champions League dreams will be up in smoke. For all the progress Ten Hag has made in recent weeks, he is still walking on thin ice, with the club's new minority owners INEOS currently in the process of identifying all the weak spots in the organisation.

Finishing fourth is a minimum requirement for Ten Hag to stay in the job beyond the summer. Winning the FA Cup would be a great bonus, but securing a seat back at Europe's top table will be crucial if United are to attract top players in the summer transfer window.

Emery's Villa are caught in a downward spiral right now, but the Spaniard is not facing the same pressure as his United counterpart. The former Arsenal boss has worked miracles in the West Midlands since replacing Steven Gerrard in October 2022, and even if Villa fail to improve on last season's seventh-place finish, he will still be in the dugout next term because there are no doubts over his coaching credentials.

In stark contrast, the jury is still very much out on whether Ten Hag is equipped to deliver at the very highest level. The final result on Sunday could go a long way to providing a definitive verdict.