Analysis: Aston Villa show more fighting qualities with top four back in their hands

Yet should Villa qualify for the Champions League by a point or two, the Italy international can say he played his part in the club realising the dream.

For the second time this season Zaniolo came off the bench to salvage a point for Unai Emery’s team and while yesterday’s equaliser at West Ham wasn’t quite so dramatic as the one he scored deep into stoppage time against Sheffield United in December, it felt that bit more valuable on a weekend which delivered a reminder the race for the Premier League top four still has a long way left to run.

Humbled at home by Tottenham seven days previously, Villa head into the international break with destiny back in their own hands having battled back to draw in east London, while their rivals had thrown in a clanger of their own over the other side of the capital less than 24 hours previously.

Spurs losing 3-0 at Fulham had already taken a little of the pressure off Emery’s men but while, for the first time this season, they were unable to follow up a league defeat by winning the next match, the mood feels markedly different to how it did a week ago, with them still sitting fourth in the table with a cushion up by a point from two to three.

With a little more precision, after Zaniolo had brought them level by cancelling out Michail Antonio’s opener with 11 minutes remaining, the outlook might have been even better.

Then again, Villa were grateful to VAR for bailing them out twice, Antonio and Tomas Soucek both helping the ball into the net with their arms, the latter effort deep in stoppage time only ruled out following a check which lasted more than five minutes.