Aston Villa Opinion: Lions might be prompted to keep Mile Jedinak beyond the season after heroics against Millwall

Aston Villa kept their playoff hopes alive and bagged all three points with a well-deserved 1-0 victory over strugglers Millwall in the Championship on Monday in what was a historic win for the Lions.

The winning goal, though, came from an unlikely source as Jonathan Kodjia, who was entrusted with the responsibility of spearheading the attack in the absence of Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham, struck in the 30th minute to ensure that Villa continued their scintillating run of form in the Championship.

The victory over Millwall will go down in the club’s history books as a historic occasion as it was the first time that the Lions won ten league games on a trot. The home fans would have anticipated a more emphatic win but they would be happy to take those three points nevertheless.

Villa looked head and shoulders above their opposition all throughout the ninety minutes and had as many as 18 shots, 7 of which were on target. They lacked the clinical edge in their finishing in the absence of Abraham and spurned a number of clear-cut chances but Jack Grealish once again rose to the occasion to create a number of opportunities for his teammates.

Grealish was by far the standout figure in Villa’s attack and came close to scoring on three occasions but all his efforts were either deflected wide or missed the target narrowly, though he did well to assist Kodjia for the winner.

It was a wonderful team effort from Villa and they pretty much dictated the play as many would have expected them to do. Although Grealish once again made a massive impact, it was the 34-year-old Mile Jedinak who surpassed all expectations and put up one of his best displays of the season at the heart of the defence to keep the opposition at bay.

Questions have been raised about Jedinak’s role in the squad this season and his future at Villa Park still remains very much up in the air. The Aussie veteran has struggled with injuries and even when he has been fit, Deam Smith has preferred to use him as a substitute.

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claimed last month on Twitter that Villa were planning to get Jedinak off their books in the summer to trim their wage bills, with the 34-year-old out of contract at the end of the season. Hence, it is quite clear that the 34-year-old is down the pecking order at Villa Park.

Drafted in at the heart of the defence alongside Tyrone Mings in the absence of James Chester and Kortney Hause, Jedinak dealt brilliantly with everything that came his way.

The 34-year-old, who was making only his 12th start of the season in the Championship, won as many as 10 aerial duels on Monday and chipped in with 2 tackles, 1 interception and 4 clearances. His distribution has come under scrutiny at times but he showed massive improvement in that aspect as well, playing a total of 49 passes at an accuracy rate of 77.6, including 4 successful long balls.

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Jedinak has effectively breathed life into his faltering Villa career and proved what an important squad player he can be with his bagful of experience. He is 34 and Villa might still go forward with their decision to let him leave in the summer but the Aussie’s authoritative display against Millwall might just prompt them to give it a second thought.