So that was 90 minutes in which we all watched a football match. A really boring football match, but one that may have a big impact on the end of the season.
The first half saw a continuation of Aston Villa's atrocious run of form lately. And in some respects, it saw them continue what they had begun against Southampton earlier this season. No, not the three goals. But possession! After 10 minutes or so, Villa had 13% possession. And by the end of the half it was 29% possession with zero shots. Rickie Lambert had two shots in the opening minutes that could've had Southampton up 0-2, but neither went in and instead we had the most dreadfully boring 45 minutes of football I've watched in a while.
In the second half, though, things changed a bit. It's not to say that Villa were good, but they were certainly better. Led by Marc Albrighton, who had an absolutely torrid day and made Luke Shaw reexamine his life, Villa actually did a bit of pressing. It resulted in six shots in the second half and 35% possession (32% on the match as a whole). Unfortunately only one of those shots was on target.
Aside from Albrighton, the lone bright spot in the match was the excellent defense, which managed a clean sheet. Ron Vlaar was, once again, the standout in the back line and played a fantastic match. We also got to see Callum Robinson get some time, though it was only as a sub in the 85th minute.
It's tough to say much about this. Fulham lost today, but Swansea won. Cardiff, too, managed a point, but overall Villa inched just a bit closer to safety. At this point it will be very difficult for Fulham and Cardiff to make up five points in three matches. Not impossible, mind you, but difficult. Villa are probably safe and that's the best thing that can be said about today.