Shropshire Star

Matt Maher analysis: It’s a Sunday stroll as the good times roll on at Aston Villa

It would clearly have been a shock had Villa failed to beat Luton.

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Aston Villa's John McGinn, Luton Town's Ross Barkley and Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby battle for the ball

Yet the ease with which Unai Emery’s team cruised to a 12th consecutive home Premier League victory still added to the sense something special may be building at Villa Park.

It was so comfortable, it was almost boring. Indeed, by the closing stages it almost felt Villa had slipped into something of a stupor, so straightforward had been their task.

With Luton having failed to seriously test Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa obliged by sending a header looping over his own goalkeeper and off the bar, the ball striking Martinez on the way down flying into the net. Substitute Leander Dendoncker then almost gifted the visitors a second consolation when he dawdled and was dispossessed on the edge of his own box in stoppage time.

None of it could distract from the fact Villa had sauntered to victory without really getting out of first gear.

They should already have been two to the good by the time John McGinn opened the scoring in the 17th minute. They should really have added more after Moussa Diaby and a Tom Lockyer own goal had put the result beyond doubt early in the second half.