Aston Villa are just four points behind the leaders and in fourth place. They haven’t lost since August, and in October they had a strong stretch of several important victories. Wins against Bayern Munich and Bologna have significantly raised Villans’ status in the Champions League, where they have yet to make a mistake. And three points against Fulham have allowed them to consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League.
The win over Arsenal was Bournemouth’s third in the league and allowed them to slide into mid-table. Unexpectedly, the Cherries, who failed to beat a modest Leicester, suddenly defeated one of the favorites of the season. Iraola’s team skillfully took advantage of the opponent’s personnel problems, and then managed to finish them off when they were left in the minority. The victory over Arsenal was a home win, but away Brentford had only won against Everton, who were in crisis at the time.