The overarching sense of positivity immersing Aston Villa since the appointment of Unai Emery as head coach at the back end of October has been so profound that the club’s endearing faithful demanded victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It wasn’t to be, and for over three-quarters of the Midlands affair in the Premier League, defeat was on the cards following Daniel Podence’s early opener for Villa’s heated rivals.
With thanks to Danny Ings’ emphatic finish, parity was restored in the 78th minute with an emphatic move that justified the ramping of the gas in the second half, maintaining Emery’s impressive record of just one defeat from five league outings since his first game at the helm.
And victory could’ve been the card that was dealt, adding the Old Gold to the likes of Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur in falling to Emery's hand for his present outfit, if not for Leon Bailey's inexcusable open-goal blunder in the dying embers of the affair, a strike that would have given the Claret and Blue three points and inched them closer to a tantalising, if unlikely, European finish come the end of the term.
While Ings steals the headlines for clinching the equalising goal during the 1-1 draw, his seventh of the season, it was centre-back Tyrone Mings that truly stole the show, impressing with defensive assurance and dazzling with his attacking edge that prevented a defeat on home turf that could only be viewed as a detrimental setback against a team in the Premier League drop-zone.
Indeed, the 29-year-0ld found Ings after trailing for the majority of the encounter with a delectable threaded pass and exhibited his leadership and composure with aplomb.
As per Sofascore, Mings' impressive 7.7 match rating was bettered by no other starting player for either side, and his assist rounded off a refined display; making 90 touches and succeeding with nine of his 15 long balls, ending the clash with a tidy pass completion rate as a result.
The 17-cap England ace was a figure of ball-playing prowess from the back, imitating the offensive waves from deep within the side's system.
He also won both his ground duels and one of his three aerial battles, refraining from making a foul throughout the entire evening, also making four clearances and two interceptions.
It is a promising sign considering Mings' last several performances in the Premier League have not exactly evoked confidence in his superiors, failing to clinch a rating reaching 7.00 for five divisional outings, before Wednesday's resounding display.
The "maverick", as lauded by Dan Bardell, has been a regular presence in Villa's side since his £20m arrival from AFC Bournemouth in 2019, starting 16 of the 18 league fixtures this campaign.
If he can continue to dazzle with "delightful" performances, with Bardell once again waxing lyrical about the titan following the recent draw, then he will assert his position as inflexible in Emery's ambitious set-up, and steer the club toward success.