Luton Town 2 Aston Villa 3: A perfect start, a terrible second half but three vital points…..

With Tottenham beating Crystal Palace earlier in the afternoon, it was important that Aston Villa reacted at Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The first half saw Unai Emery’s side settle quickly and saw a dividend in the form of two goals from Ollie Watkins — the second after a VAR check for offside.

But Luton know how to catalyse the support they get from the Kenilworth Road fans into momentum and duly staged an impressive fightback in the second half, although Emery will have been disappointed in how his team were pegged back territorially.

But, just as it looked like two precious points had been thrown away, Lucas Digne popped up with a headed winner in front of Villa’s travelling fans in the 89th minute. A successful excursion to Bedfordshire… just about.

Here, Jacob Tanswell answers the key questions from today’s game.

Villa’s first half dominance and composure was in short supply in the second. They conceded unnecessary fouls, riling up a crowd that had fallen flat. Momentum had shifted and Emery, in retrospect, sensed what was coming. Before Luton equalised, the Spaniard barked at his defenders, gesturing to return to playing short and in tight pockets, as opposed to kicking long and ceding possession. As it turned out, the momentum had shifted.

Until Luton drew level, Villa had conceded six fouls — mostly in their defensive half — and four corners. Before the game, Emery spoke openly about guarding against Luton’s aerial threat and directness. Yet his players, seemingly lulled in a false sense of security, encouraged Luton’s strengths to the fore and exposed Villa’s ongoing weaknesses against dead-ball situations.