Aston Villa pulled off the result of the weekend in the Championship, hammering Derby County 4-0 at Villa Park.

In recent weeks Villa have looked tepid, short on creativity and organisation. Their performances harked back to the days of Steve Bruce, but 90 minutes of action put paid to any notion they've been standing still.

In truth, it only took 45 minutes. Tammy Abraham hit a goal in the middle of a Conor Hourihane brace, giving them a 3-0 lead going into the final minutes of the first half.

[ad_pod ]

The cherry was placed on top of the cake by returning hero Jack Grealish. He's been out since November with an injury, but he bagged their fourth with a sensational strike before the break to cap a triumphant return to action.

His performance was about much more than a goal though, as you'll see through our latest FLW Spotlight piece.

 

Grealish might have missed three months football, but he looked as hungry and committed as ever in his first run out of 2019. He lasted 71 minutes of the encounter, but the game had already been won long before he came off to a standing ovation.

His goal will grab the headlines, a wonderful volleyed effort which left Villa Park speechless, but it wasn't his only contribution of a busy afternoon. He had three shots on goal, finding his sights and keeping Derby alert.

 

His passing was exemplary, accurate and clinical with every delivery. He played four accurate long balls and added a key pass to his stats.

Not only that, but even his general passing was simply brilliant. He made 41 passes, with a whopping 95.1% of them finding a teammate.

That's a phenomenal statistic and if he keeps that up in the coming weeks, he might just nudge the Villans into a top six spot after all.