Àlex Moreno seals Aston Villa's five-star demolition over the pitiful Sheffield United | first division

And they said it was a good time to face Aston Villa. It is true, since Sheffield Unitedof all teams, prevented Villa from reaching the top of the Premier League at the end of last year, Unai Emery has seen his team stutter slightly.

A run of one win in five league games has, for the first time since the manager's appointment, raised more questions than answers. Well, those who doubted Villa's durability might want to pause for thought. This was a separation of classes, an exercise in Villa's incision and persecution in the shadow of his hapless hosts.

If these two clubs offered, say, sandwiches, they would be markedly different taste experiences. Emery has built himself a spectacular villa, as abundant in substance as it is in style. Hearty slices from John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz give structure, with flavor added by high-end organic fillings from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey. Of that quintet, all but Douglas Luiz had scored before half-time, and Douglas Luiz had done enough to then have a 45-minute break. Àlex Moreno closed the scoring at the beginning of the second half.

Sheffield United have prepared something very different. Attending Bramall Lane has become a disgusting chore and yet they come to feast on the footballing equivalent of service station toast. Both the price and packaging suggest a top-notch premium product, but one bite only brings disappointment. “Effin' rubbish United” is the most printable of the cries of the few who were still present at the end.

A dozen minutes had passed when McGinn had the simplest of finishes to put Villa ahead. Within half an hour, Watkins, Bailey and Tielemans had left the hosts dazed and sad in equal measure. Such has been the sorry state of Sheffield United's season that apathy has long since replaced anger. When the fourth official signaled an additional four minutes at the end of the first half, boos were heard. Home fans desperately wanted temporary relief.

When Sheffield United's demotion is inevitably confirmed, it will be difficult to point to any one factor as fatal. But if you were to compile a list, defensive fragility would rank first. They are woefully bad at defending their own goal.

For Villa's first, Douglas Luiz split a trio of centre-backs to keep Watkins away. He lifted the ball over Wes Foderingham, with a cut from the goalkeeper deflecting the ball onto a post. Anel Ahmedhodzic bravely slid to clear the ball, but that simply left him stunned as a spectator when McGinn struck.

Villa's lead was precisely doubled thanks to an attack by Sheffield United. Jayden Bogle had danced to the right, but his cutback went straight to Douglas Luiz. A one-two with Boubacar Kamara later and the Brazilian midfielder used the outside of his foot to sumptuously launch an incisive ball to Watkins. This time the forward added to his personal account.

Then came the elegant addition of Bailey. The beauty was in the simplicity of it. With Watkins feeding Bailey, Rhys Norrington-Davies did nothing wrong in trying to show the Jamaican the touchline. But Bailey dropped his shoulder, came in and found the corner.

The network bubbled; Emery celebrated wildly; Chris Wilder looked a little further into the abyss.

Having conceded three in eight minutes, the 10-minute break before Villa's fourth assist seemed like a small victory for the hosts. That being said, the real winner was Tielemans. On a cleverly taken corner he missed his shot at the far post and Vini Souza cleared it off the line.

That only gave Tieleman a second bite, as the resulting corner fell to him on the edge of the area. One touch to stabilize and hit from the bottom of the crossbar. A great way to open your account at the club.

Any words Wilder uttered during the break had little impact. Two minutes into the restart, Auston Trusty failed to clear and Watkins crossed for Moreno to volley into the net.

Of those who had bothered to return to their seats at that time, a good portion left. Those who remained were almost rewarded with Vini Souza's consolation in added time. Then the VAR intervened. Typical.