In the great battle for the Champions League places, so the momentum swings anew behind Unai Emery again and an Aston Villa team that demolished Newcastle United - who started the afternoon as the Premier League’s form side.
Not any longer. Eddie Howe will have watched from home with escalating concern, at a troubling performance from his players when their performance levels all but disappeared. The tradition of Jason Tindall’s antagonism with Villa felt superfluous on an evening when Howe’s assistant saw the players scarcely compete. Ollie Watkins scored within 35 seconds at the start of the game and although there was an equaliser, it was all going inexorably in one direction.