Aston Villa have been English champions seven times in their history, but not since 1980-81. This failure to hold on to a lead at Bournemouth shows Villa are not ready to last the title race.
Aston Villa have been English champions seven times in their history, but not since 1980-81.
A run of eight successive wins in November and December left their fans dreaming of glory, with Villa being only three points off the top just after Christmas.
But head coach Unai Emery has consistently talked down his side's chances of winning the Premier League, last month saying they were not in contention to finish in the top five.
This failure to hold on to the three points at Bournemouth was further evidence that Emery's side, although still clearly on an upward trajectory, are not ready to sustain a serious push for the Premier League title.
Villa have now won two, drawn two and lost three of their past seven in the league, picking up eight points out of a possible 21.
Boosted by the return of England striker Ollie Watkins, who had missed the shock 1-0 home defeat by Brentford, Villa thought they had taken the lead, only for Watkins to be offside when tapping in from Morgan Rogers' square pass.
Villa did score two minutes later through Rogers, but they could not build on that and only managed four shots on target, compared to nine from the hosts.
The Cherries were the better side in the second half and fully deserved their point, which they secured through a fine solo goal from 19-year-old Rayan.
Martinez had to make seven saves to secure a hard-earned draw for Villa.
Champions League qualification is surely Villa's most realistic target now, with a top-five position in the Premier League likely to be enough for a return to the elite continental competition.
With 13 games to go, Villa are eight points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool, although the Reds have played one fewer match.
Category: General Sports
