The main talking point of the evening came before kick off with a cabbage being thrown at Steve Bruce as he emerged from the tunnel. This left a bit of a sour atmosphere inside the stadium which only added to the incoming fire that Bruce had been suffering for weeks before. In the previous five games the Villains had lost 4-1 and 2-1 to Sheffield United and Wednesday and 1-1 draws with Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City. A solitary win in five came against a poor Rotherham side who had lost three of their last five.
A good start saw Jonathan Kodjia and Tammy Abraham both score and a 2-0 lead for the home side after 37 minutes. This lasted until the 56th minute and captain James Chester was sent off after giving away a soft penalty. By the 79th minute North End were level through a Paul Gallagher free kick which saw many Villa fans head for the exits. Most Villa fans left on 86 minutes when Lewis Moult scored to lead the game for the first time. Yannick Bolasie scored his first Villa goal a minute into stoppage time and four minutes later, ex villa man, Daniel Johnson dived in and a penalty was given against him, giving Glenn Whelan the chance to win the game in the 96th minute of play. What happened next could be said to be one of the biggest turning points in a season in Aston Villa history. Chris Maxwell made a great save low to his left to keep out the penalty from Whelan and with that the game was done.
The day following the game, Steve Bruce was relieved of his duties as Aston Villa manager due to poor form which saw Villa down in 12th place. The new owners at the club showed very early on in their tenure that they will not settle for anything other than the best. Seven days after Bruce's sacking, Dean Smith was brought in alongside Richard O'Kelly and John Terry.
What happened across the rest of the season is history. Despite up and down form early on, Dean Smith's philosophy and tactics lead the club to 10 consecutive wins as well as guiding the team to play off glory at Wembley against Derby County. This game against Preston is seen by most fans of Villa as a massive turning point and since then the club have gone from strength to strength and after staying up in the Premier League last season, fans hope for a much more comfortable season, and with two wins from two in the League this season, optimism surrounds the club at present.