Aston Villa’s first Premier League victory of the season may also have given Unai Emery the foundations of a new attacking partnership.
Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson were both influential in Saturday’s dramatic 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Manzambi scored Villa’s opener before the pair combined for Jackson to double the advantage after the break.
Emiliano Buendía eventually added a third, but the connection between Jackson and Manzambi offered perhaps the most interesting clue about how Emery’s rebuilt attack could develop.
The Guardian’s match report highlighted Villa’s efficiency on the counter and Jackson’s composed finish as Spurs struggled to deal with Emery’s attacking transitions.
Manzambi gives Jackson something different
Jackson does not need Villa’s attack to revolve entirely around him.
That became particularly clear at Tottenham.
Rather than leaving the striker isolated between the centre-backs, Manzambi regularly provided another runner who could occupy defenders and combine quickly when Villa regained possession.
The second goal was the clearest example.
Manzambi exchanged passes with Jackson before the striker created the space to finish beyond Antonín Kinský.
Our Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa match report detailed how the combination helped Villa punish Spurs once the hosts were forced to chase the match.
It was not complicated attacking football.
It was quick, direct and decisive.
That could be significant for a Villa side that struggled badly for attacking rhythm during the opening weeks of the Premier League season.
Emery has more freedom with Villa attack
Jackson’s qualities naturally suit an attack with movement around him.
He can run channels, drift away from centre-backs and attack space behind a defensive line rather than spending every phase operating as a traditional penalty-box striker.
Manzambi complements that.
The summer arrival showed at Tottenham that he can begin from a wider or deeper position before attacking central spaces at speed.
That movement makes Villa less predictable.
Emery can still use Tammy Abraham when he wants a more conventional focal point.
The manager made that choice particularly interesting against Spurs after Abraham had scored twice in the Carabao Cup victory over Coventry.
Despite those goals, Emery left Abraham on the bench and trusted Jackson and Manzambi.
The decision worked.
It does not mean Abraham has suddenly fallen out of favour.
It means Emery now has genuinely different ways of constructing his attack.
Manzambi performance was more than one goal
Manzambi has already received plenty of attention for his Tottenham performance.
Our individual analysis of his selection breakthrough focused on how a goal and assist strengthened his case for a regular role.
The bigger tactical question is what his presence does for the players around him.
Jackson benefited from having another forward willing to attack quickly with him.
Buendía benefited from Villa creating more space as Tottenham became stretched.
John McGinn also had more opportunities to join attacking phases from deeper positions.
That is where the partnership idea becomes more interesting than simply looking at Manzambi’s numbers in isolation.
Villa now have an attack opponents must read differently
Villa lost significant attacking firepower during the summer.
That inevitably meant Emery needed new combinations rather than expecting one player to directly replace what had gone.
Against Tottenham, Villa offered a glimpse of what the new version could look like.
Jackson provided mobility through the middle.
Manzambi added another direct runner.
Buendía supplied creativity behind them.
Zion Suzuki’s distribution also allowed Villa to bypass pressure quickly, with his performance proving crucial during the win.
There will be more difficult tests.
Tottenham left substantial space once the game became stretched, and Villa will face opponents who defend much deeper.
But Emery now has evidence that Jackson and Manzambi can hurt teams together.
That gives Aston Villa something they badly lacked during the opening weeks of the season: an attacking combination opponents may actually have to fear.
