Seventy-four years on since their last top-flight match, Brentford had their crossroads moment among the 19 other big boys.
The man who had spent three seasons between 2015 and 2018 trying to get the Bees into the Premier League and drafted in Thomas Frank as an assistant was in the opposition dugout: Dean Smith.
The man who had notched 49 goals over three seasons, beloved across all sections of Brentford’s supporters was sat on the Aston Villa bench: Ollie Watkins.
Emi Bundia curled in a super equaliser for Aston Villa from the edge of the penalty area
Ivan Toney had given the visitors the lead after just seven minutes with first top-flight goal
The striker showed great composure to pick out the corner with a aplomb from close range
As Watkins arose from the bench with 11 minutes left to the applause of supporters of both sides, the match heading towards a draw, a truce even, felt apt to the occasion and kept the away side’s 15 league game unbeaten run over two seasons running.
Truly, neither side really deserved to have won. The newly promoted away side did outplay their opponents in first half and continue to play fearlessly; expunging the fact they are the in the top flight for the first time since 1947. But a drop off in the latter 45 minutes brought Villa back into the contest.
Ivan Toney opened the scoring through a strike in the penalty area before new signing Emi Buendia equalised six minutes with a moment of dainty class. A flick, spin and turn — he could well prove to be a shrewd signing.
Though it was a moment of controversy that denied the away side from sneaking away from Villa Park with all three points in the bag.
Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez caught an aerial ball and went to launch a kick forward on 40 minutes. As he threw the ball centimetres in the air like a tennis player preparing to strike a serve, Vitaly Janelt poked the ball out of his grasp and steered into an empty net.
A run to the crowd with a suspicious look behind at referee Peter Bankes followed. Confusion on the pitch and in the crowd emerged before the ‘goal’ was correctly ruled out — the rules stipulate the ball has to touch the ground before an opposition player can steal the ball away. The ball had not touched the ball in Martinez’s grasp.
The match had started with a handicap-feel for the home team after the enforced removal of Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn through Covid-19, and Tyrone Mings to injury.
It was the latter two names though that had ripped the heart out of an already confidence-depleted side since the sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City.
The late news of the trio’s absence had an effect as 17-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka was drafted in on debut and defender Axel Tuanzebe made a first start since his loan move from Manchester United.
Emi Martinez rushes off his line to make a smart save and deny Bryan Mbeumo from scoring
Matty Cash tries to dig out a cross but Brentford get bodies around him and get in the block
Brentford were missing Frank Onyeka also through Covid but had a largely full-strength team to pick from. A side with a penchant for getting on the front foot need not any excuse for doing so and pressed forward in front of a raucous Villa crowd.
Toney’s opener after seven minutes was partly presence, and partly clinical finishing. Sergi Canos delivered a low cross that Pontus Jansson had flicked into the striker’s direction.
He neatly struck the ball into the corner under no pressure from the Villa defence. Why he was left alone in the box is anyone’s guess.
It had clearly woken up the home side from their slump and they equalised six minutes later.
Danny Ings cut in from the left-hand side to square to Buendia. The Argentine pulled off a backward flick, turn and then curl past goalkeeper David Raya; a classy move and a glimpse of why Villa splashed out £38million to Norwich for the midfielder.
Raya pulled off a reflex save to deny an Ings poke in the area from doubling the lead, but the Bees were in the ascendency.
Dean Smith would’ve wanted more but had to settle for a point in the end against hid old club
The result extends Brentford’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season
Rico Henry drove a shot wide of the post from the edge of the box and should have done better, but it was five minutes before half-time where that moment of contention arose. Janelt’s attempt at robbing Martinez of the ball mid-air was correctly ruled out.
Villa were starting to gain confidence in the opposition half after the interval but the petulance of the fouls between the sides started to creep in.
Christian Norgaard received a yellow card for an awful hack at Anwar El Ghazi’s legs before the Egyptian had a go at retribution in the same area minutes later.
Nerves were heightened when Ings was clattered on 70 minutes by substitute Yoane Wissa minutes later to leave him clutching his ankle on the floor, but the injury-prone striker was thankfully able to continue.
The Bees’ manual to bringing out the fouls was clearly in frustration to relinquishing the stranglehold of the match after such a strong first half.
El Ghazi had a shy at goal after Buendia manoeuvred between three opposition players to drive to high on goal.
In the end, a point each had been very much on the agenda.