The Villa Park stadium is decorated to host an important and highly anticipated match on the sidelines of the 28th week of the Premier League matches for the current season 2022-2023.
It was almost exactly 365 days since Villa had embarked on a three-game Premier League winning streak when they met West Ham in the capital last weekend, but they ultimately came up short in their efforts to post a first trio of top-flight victories since March 2022.
Seeking to add to successes over Crystal Palace and Everton, Villa were on course to do just that when Ollie Watkins struck his ninth top-flight goal of the season early doors, but his former Brentford teammate Said Benrahma levelled from the spot to ensure a slice of the spoils for the Hammers.
Despite failing to make it three wins on the trot, taking seven points from their last nine Premier League contests is a marked upturn in fortunes for Emery's crop, whose February could hardly have begun more disastrously with three losses to Leicester City, Manchester City and Arsenal.