00:00 We start with Wolves on Tuesday evening.
00:02 They were 1-0 victors over Burnley,
00:04 who themselves had just come off the back of a 5-0 hammering
00:07 of Sheffield United.
00:09 The win sees Wolves into 13th place,
00:11 and only a point away from the top half of the Premier League.
00:14 Nottingham Forest at home is the next fixture for Gary O'Neill's men.
00:18 Wolves' home form is certainly what is propelling them up the table,
00:22 having made Molineux a tough place to visit.
00:25 They will be playing in the Premier League
00:27 and will be hoping to continue that good form against Forest.
00:31 West Brom were on the end of a last-minute loss
00:34 at the Hawthorns at the weekend at the hands of Leicester City.
00:38 This saw them drop to fifth ahead of a trip to Man Under Sunderland
00:42 at the weekend in the aim of getting back on track
00:45 against a team going through a tricky spell.
00:48 Our Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden
00:51 was at Villa Park on Wednesday,
00:53 to see Aston Villa defeat the champions.
00:57 This is what he had to say.
00:59 Aston Villa have just beaten the Premier League champions,
01:02 Manchester City, and leapfrogged them in December.
01:05 This isn't August, this isn't September,
01:07 this is December and getting serious now.
01:09 Unai Emery's team up to third in the Premier League,
01:12 maybe top four contenders, maybe even title contenders
01:15 if they can beat Arsenal this weekend.
01:17 I don't think fans should get too carried away,
01:19 but things are getting very exciting here,
01:21 especially at Villa Park.
01:23 Obviously a few results on the road, not quite going their way,
01:26 but here it's become such a fortress in the Premier League,
01:29 arguably the hardest ground for any team to go,
01:32 even the league champions coming here.
01:34 It wasn't a fluke result either, it was a deserved win.
01:37 From start to finish, Villa fought,
01:39 they won every second ball near enough.
01:41 There was a little bit of a cagey moment or two in the first half
01:44 and maybe to start the second,
01:46 but when it came to the chance creation, Villa were better.
01:49 There was a double save from Emi Martinders in the first half,
01:52 Erling Haaland a header and also a cross-field shot as well, saved.
01:57 Could have been a very different evening if one of those had gone in,
02:00 but those saves were made by the goalkeeper,
02:02 sent Villa on their way.
02:04 So many opportunities, Bailey had three or four shots on target
02:07 and he was the man to score the winning goal.
02:09 It was deflected, it was probably one of the most unlikely office shots
02:12 to go in, but it was deflected off Diaz into the top corner,
02:15 sent the ground into Pandemonium, a very well-deserved goal.
02:18 It felt like it might actually be Unai Emery's first ever 0-0
02:21 in the Premier League, but the goal was got
02:23 and an amazing, huge three points now for Aston Villa in the Premier League.
02:27 Can they get top four?
02:29 Villa welcome league leaders Arsenal to Villa Park this weekend
02:34 in what will be another tough test for Unai Emery against his former club.
02:39 Finally, Birmingham City could not manage another win at the weekend,
02:44 being held to a goalless draw by Rotherham.
02:46 They face Coventry away from home next,
02:49 with only a point separating the sides.
02:52 Wayne Rooney will know the importance of points at this stage of the season.
02:56 That's all for your West Midlands football round-up this week,
03:00 ahead of another busy weekend.
03:02 weekend.
03:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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