Aston Villa hammered Man City to leapfrog them into third and have now won 14 games in a row at Villa Park...  as they gear up to face top-of-the-table Arsenal  should we be taking Unai Emery's side more seriously?

Successes of the past can prove just as much a hindrance to the future as they can a reminder of the good old days.

Aston Villa's greatest moment came back in 1983 when they lifted the European Cup, and that piece of silverware serves as an omnipresent monument to the club's most revered achievement, a testament to the seemingly unattainable. Until now. 

Unai Emery's side have just matched their record of home wins in the top-flight (14) after completely disassembling one of the best-oiled sporting machines - now, surely, they are dreaming of a run at their own crowning glory next term. 

On current form, it is hard to envisage a top four without the Villans in it come May 2024, but the exact place they will be fighting for is still very much up in the air. It is high time we started taking Aston Villa seriously. 

The next team standing in their path? An Arsenal side that knows as well as any how hard it is to break free of your own history, that Invincible campaign of 20 years ago never more than a sentence away, currently sat two points clear at the top.

The Gunners share a curiously twisted fate with Villa, their successes on the field in recent history inextricably linked. 

The Mikel Arteta era, young thought it may be, has been one of renewed optimism and vigour at the Emirates Stadium, with a title charge last term exemplifying this. 

But it was the man who will be in the home dugout on Saturday that he replaced permanently back in December 2019, after Emery's own tenure descended into rot and ruin, the Spaniard sacked following another drab performance, having lost the club's confidence and become a figure of mockery for the fans. 

Back to Spain Emery went, and rebuilt his reputation as one of the finest coaches on the continent, picking up Europa League No 4 before returning to finish off his business in England.

In this way, Emery's relative failings in north London could be considered turning points for the successes at both clubs, but at Villa he has been nothing short of a revelation. There isn't a single test they have failed since he took the helm.

Fight back from a relegation battle? Finished seventh. Compete in Europe with a small squad? Qualified for the Conference League second round with a game to go. Challenge the big boys? Currently sat third, ahead of Manchesters City and United, Tottenham and Chelsea.

The spotlight is currently shining their way, and rightly so, but Wednesday's win and the dominant nature of it are just the latest in what is proving to be a fully sustainable run of form.

That home record is of course a huge part of Villa's recent success, turning Villa Park into a fortress, but their away form is hardly to be sniffed at either. 

Perhaps permissible defeats to Liverpool and Newcastle aside, they've only lost to Nottingham Forest, drawing against Bournemouth and Wolves as well as beating Burnley, Tottenham and Chelsea. 

If we were really poking holes in Villa's statement run, you could say that only five of the 14 teams are currently in the top half, with only Spurs and City in the top five, but to be frank beating the Treble winners in and of itself is worthy of praise, bad form or no. 

Emery's Villa have shown a tactical elasticity that perhaps sneaks under the radar, in much the same way that the performances of Brighton and Newcastle last term hid the extent of the work that was done in the Midlands.

Against City they deployed a four-man midfield unit, outnumbering and outplaying the visitors on their own danger area, with Youri Tielemans joining Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn. 

It restricted a City side desperately missing Rodri to fumes, with Erling Haaland's early double-salvo at Emiliano Martinez the only shots they had in the whole game. Villa for comparison had 22. 

In his 535 games in top-flight management, Pep Guardiola has never been so outclassed. In defence, Villa befuddled one of the sharpest attacks in any sporting franchise, catching Haaland and Co offside five times, the ninth time this season the hosts have managed that feat. According to Sky Sports, no team has managed it more than twice.

They pressed high, too, winning possession 13 times over the course of the game in the final third - another record against a Guardiola side -  and the best part about it is that it was all done in arguably their second choice formation. 

For the majority of the season Villa have set up in a 4-3-3 with McGinn, Luiz and Kamara in the middle behind Ollie Watkins and one of Nicolo Zaniolo, Leon Bailey or Moussa Diaby. 

Yet they have also deployed a 4-4-2 with Matty Cash on the right wing, or with Diaby joining Watkins in a 4-2-2-2. The ability to beat your opponents in any one of three formations is invaluable, and Villa have reaped the rewards of the confusion they are causing.  

The Villans have also recruited fantastically well in recent windows. The importance of adding of Pau Torres over the summer - particularly with skipper Tyrone Mings out for the season - cannot be overstated, while Diaby and Zaniolo have added greater depth and potency to the attacking line. 

Alex Moreno is now back fit again at left back, but his competition is also bringing out the best in Lucas Digne, with the arrival of Tielemans bringing the touch of a capable playmaker into the heart of an already industrious midfield. 

Even those still at the club have been improved on a personal and technical level after coming into contact with the intense and obsessive Emery, who is never too far from a laptop or tablet at Bodymoor, analysing ever inch of his opponents and his own charges alike. 

Of the team that started against Fulham in October 2022 - Steven Gerrard's final game in charge - six players were on the teamsheet to face City, with a seventh coming off the bench in Jacob Ramsey. 

In other words, Villa have not simply bought a new team. Emery has coached every ounce of ability out of most players that were there when he arrived, and dropped in a few more faces to work around them. 

The Villans are not just a force at home, and they have not simply hit an extended run of form. Take a look at the Premier League table based on the last 40 games since Emery took over, and you'll see Villa in fourth on 79 points. 

Ahead of them are City on 90 (41 games), Arsenal on 89 (41 games) and Liverpool on 85 (42 games) - while we were all distracted with the revolutions at Newcastle and Brighton, Villa have stolen a march on the Premier League. 

Asked whether his side can advance further on their current gains after beating City, Emery preferred to downplay the hype currently surrounding his team.

'There are seven teams who are stronger contenders than us,' he said. 'We have played 15 games and the 16th will be against Arsenal. We are happy to be third but to keep that position will be very difficult. We can believe but we are not contenders.

‘I like to prepare for matches against the best coaches and when you are playing at a high level, you get these chances. Beating Pep Guardiola for the first time is part of a process I am following as a coach.’

And so we turn our attentions to Saturday's opponents, the last team to beat Villa at home, buoyed by a 97th-minute winner on Tuesday night, flying high at the top of the table, and ready to pose the hosts another huge test. 

It took a freakish 93rd minute own goal and a Gabriel Martinelli strike five minutes later to get the Gunners over the line nine months ago, but the test will be all the tougher this time round.

Not only will Arsenal have to face one of the form sides in the league, but they'll be doing it without their leader Arteta, who faces a touchline ban, adding further spice to the occasion as Emery looks to get revenge on his former employers for the first time with Villa.  

‘Very frustrated, embarrassing to lose like that in front of our supporters,’ said Emery after that dramatic game in March, after his side had twice led his title-chasing former club. ‘The performances can’t continue like that.’ 

It's fair to say that, 14 straight victories at home and a place in the top four later, Emery's side have made good on that statement. 

The world reacted with shock and amazement on Wednesday night when Emery and Co dismantled and dismissed the reigning champions. 

Should Villa make it 15 on the bounce at Villa Park, will we react the same way, or maybe show the Villans the respect they have earned?