Aston Villa travelled to The John Smith stadium tonight, looking to win their fourth straight win for the first time in forever. Here's how they got on.
The first half
Overall, it was a decent half for the Villa. Steve Bruce's men played a high pressing game, giving Huddersfield no time on the ball, a tactic which really seemed to frustrate the home fans, which is always a bonus.
Villa should definitely have gone into the break ahead, given that they had all of the chances. Henri Lansbury came closest, hitting the post. Saying that, Conor Hourihane should have scored before then, scooping the ball over from six yards out, when it was easier to hit the target. James Bree too came close, forcing a good save out of Joel Coleman, a goalkeeper that makes Sam Johnstone look good. Saying that, Johnstone had very little to do, though he did stay true to form and flapped at one ball.
So overall, a good half, but Villa went out desperately needing a goal. Did they get one?
The second half
No, no they didn't. But even worse, Huddersfield did, and it was something out of nothing as well. Tommy Smith drove a cross/shot in, and it went into the back of the net. They didn't even try and score, and yet they outscored Villa, which ended the Aston Villa winning run.
Worryingly, Aston Villa created nothing in the second half, and because Huddersfield didn't either, it was very very boring. Not many pluses either, because the performance just wasn't there either.
The substitutions came late, and Keinan Davis and Cory Blackett-Taylor entered the field of play for Jordan Amavi and Neil Taylor. Worryingly, when Davis replaced Amavi, the players had no idea how they were to line up. Not saying Steve Bruce is tactically inept. But...
And so the winning run is over. It doesn't get much easier either, as we welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Villa Park on Saturday. That's four days away though, and I recommend spending the next four days not thinking about Aston Villa.