'That's the next step': Pundit makes positive Aston Villa claim despite Man Utd defeat

Aston Villa left Old Trafford empty-handed on Tuesday night after Manchester United overturned a 2-0 deficit to come out on top. A brace from Alejandro Garnacho and a first Premier League goal for Rasmus Højlund cancelled out Villa's efforts to claim all three points.

The final Boxing Day clash saw John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker temporarily shift Villa up to second in the Premier League table, but United's inspired second half comeback thwarted their early efforts. Even with a goal ruled out, the Reds hit back to break their four game winless streak.

While it was a disappointing result for Villa to head home with, Unai Emery and his side still have a lot to be positive about as they could well enter 2024 inside the Premier League top four.

The Villans are currently third in the table on 39 points, just three off leaders Liverpool and five ahead of reigning champions Manchester City, who have dropped into fifth for the time being. This is just Villa's fourth loss of the season and they are still viewed as contenders to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Following Villa's visit to Manchester, the Amazon Prime Video pundits discussed their performance on the day and their overall form across the season so far.

"It will be very disappointing for Aston Villa fans that they played the second half like they were holding onto a result, like having something to lose," reflected Roberto Martinez during the post-match discussion.

"I think that's the next step. Psychologically, the perception of the Premier League probably changed when they beat Manchester City in the manner that they did, but today was another big step to reaffirm that they are here to challenge for the title and the top four and I think that's the next step."

Indeed, Villa made a huge statement in the league when they beat City and Arsenal back-to-back at the start of the month. Last season, they finished seventh and will certainly believe they can improve on that this campaign.

Similarly, Alan Shearer felt confident that Villa 'will be back' after this latest result while dissecting the performance on Match of the Day.

Emery and his side will take on Burnley on December 30th for their final match of the year.