As Saturday's commanding win proved, Aston Villa are a side re-born under new boss Unai Emery, with the Midlands outfit having now won five successive Premier League games following that 3-0 victory over Newcastle United.
The manner in which the Villans dispatched the top-four hopefuls was indicative of the flowing confidence that the club are now enjoying under the new regime, with man of the moment Ollie Watkins perhaps the most obvious beneficiary of the change in the dugout.
The former Brentford man now boasts 11 goals in just his last 12 league games having been in scintillating form since the World Cup break, with the weekend win proving particularly fruitful as the Englishman bagged a brace in front of watching Three Lions boss, Gareth Southgate.
The 27-year-old is simply "on fire" at present – according to former Villa striker Dean Saunders – and is leading the charge towards potential European qualification, with Emery's men now just three points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Aside from Watkins, however, there have been other members of the squad who have also truly come to the fore since the turn of the year, with recent addition Alex Moreno having been in "sensational" form of late, according to Birmingham World's, Charlie Haffenden.
It would appear that the Villa Park outfit are simply reaping the rewards of their £12.5m investment in the former Real Betis ace, with it looking as if the 29-year-old is now emulating another previously impactful January arrival – Darren Bent.
How good has Moreno been for Villa?
In the case of Bent, the striker-turned-pundit was snapped up from Sunderland on a £24m deal in the winter of 2011, with the Englishman having been tasked with trying to steer the club away from danger in the second half of the season.
Having been fourth bottom at the time of the marksman's then club-record capture, Villa would ultimately end the campaign in ninth after enjoying a real turnaround in fortunes in the latter months of the campaign, with Bent proving integral to that revival.
The one-time Tottenham Hotspur man would score nine goals in just 16 league games in the tail-end of that 2010/11 season, earning notable praise from Gerard Houllier's then-assistant Gary McAllister, who labelled him a "great signing".
While Moreno is operating in an altogether different role to that of Bent, the left-back is certainly proving just as influential as that of the former Villa ace having already racked up three assists in 13 league outings, while averaging 1.5 key passes per game to his illustrate his creative brilliance.
The experienced Spaniard is "absolutely flying" in English football – according to broadcaster Jack Collins – having already proven himself to be "a tremendous signing", in the words of ESPN's Luis Miguel Echegaray.
That quality was notably evident against the Magpies last time out as the 5 foot 10 machine was a 'constant outlet' for his side down the left flank, as per Birmingham Live's Ashley Preece, after providing one assist and registering three key passes.
Much like Bent was able to help ensure that Houllier and co moved from fearing for their safety to comfortably finishing in mid-table, Moreno is now helping to lead the charge in the bid to take Villa from enduring an unremarkable campaign to now having hopes of playing in Europe next season.
The hope will be, however, that while Bent's impact was relatively shortlived as he spent much of his final years at the club out on loan, the in-form full-back can go on to blossom for the long-term under compatriot, Emery.