Aston Villa tightened their grip on a Champions League place as they beat Bournemouth 3-1 on Sunday.

Unai Emery saw his side go 1-0 down courtesy of a 31st minute Dominic Solanke penalty given away by Matty Cash, who was not at his best.

Morgan Rogers levelled the scores in first-half stoppage time, though, before goals from Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey completed the turnaround.

Ollie Watkins is in the form of his life and provided the assist for the second and third to take his tally of goal contributions to 31 in the Premier League.

The result moved Villa six points clear of Tottenham in the race for the top four, but there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns before the end of the campaign.

One player whose influence can be overlooked at times is Youri Tielemans.

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It has not always been easy for the Belgian since making the move from Leicester City in the summer following his former club's relegation, but he has looked like a player who is starting to play his best football again in recent matches.

Against Bournemouth, Tielemans controlled the midfield in possession whilst working hard without the ball in a performance that would have really pleased his manager.

With Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara both absent, it is crucial that Tielemans and John McGinn step up and they are doing just that as evidenced at Villa Park on Sunday.

Tielemans had an uncertain contract situation whilst at Leicester which ultimately resulted in the midfielder joining Villa for free.

Despite the constant speculation, his manager for the bulk of his time at the Foxes, Brendan Rodgers, was complimentary of the now Villa man in November 2022, saying: "He has been a fantastic professional for us, even though he is in the situation with his contract.

"He's never wavered from his mentality and what he gives to the team. He provides the team with know-how in the game; he is wonderful to work with."

According to Sofascore, the 26-year-old had 77 touches against Bournemouth and registered a pass completion rate of 92%; completing 57 of his 62 attempted passes.

Tielemans found his passing range with ease and even completed four of his five long passes in the game.

Defensively, the FA Cup winner was aggressive and won seven of his nine duels, giving him an incredible duel success rate of 78%.

There is plenty left to play for this season, with a Europa Conference League semi-final on the horizon as well as the race for fourth.

With the way Tielemans is playing currently, he is showing he deserves to be a key member of the squad for what looks set to be another exciting next season next time around.