Aston Villa made it 12 consecutive wins at home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, dismantling Luton Town 3-1 at Villa Park.
The Villans extended their unbeaten run to five as they moved to within four points of first-place Tottenham, a position that would have been incomprehensible just 12 months ago when Unai Emery took to the helm.
The Spaniard has completely transformed the club since taking charge, dragging the club from the threat of relegation last term to now challenging for the top four and competing in the Europa Conference League.
Moussa Diaby's performance set the tone against Luton Town
Aston Villa's club record acquisition of Moussa Diaby in the summer is one of several reasons why Emery's side are challenging for the Champions League in the early stages.
The Frenchman has oozed class throughout this term and supplied an added dimension to Villa's attack through his ability to drive forward with his searing pace, gliding past defenders with his low centre of gravity and providing a devastating end product to match.
When in full throttle, Diaby is difficult to stop, and that is something that Luton found out on Sunday afternoon, struggling to live with his exceptional physical attributes as well as his potency in the final third.
The 24-year-old whiz was a thorn in the Hatter's defensive line all afternoon and when the ball dropped to him invitingly inside in the 18-yard box, the full stadium expected him to rifle it past Thomas Kaminski, and he duly obliged.
Aside from extending his side's lead in the 49th minute, he was heavily involved in the build-up phase, accumulating 0.32 expected assists (xA), one key pass, and one big chance created, as per Sofascore.
Emery's French superstar, however, was not the only player at the hub of Villa's creativity as Douglas Luiz continued his sensational start to the season.
The statistics behind Douglas Luiz's performance against Luton Town
Diaby may have stolen the plaudits with his goal, but Villa's maestro ruthlessly dismantled Luton with his terrific all-action performance.
Luiz has been in the form of his life this term – scoring five in 10 matches – and much like Emery has completely transformed the midland giants, he's also done similar with the Brazilian, affording him the freedom to control the midfield having previously been utilised as a destructive ball-winner.
The 25-year-old maestro is now more than just a regimented pivot, he's the orchestrator in midfield, elegantly spraying the ball around, splitting lines with his passing range, and playing a large role in the build-up phase of Villa's attacks.
On Sunday afternoon, Luiz made Villa Park his playground, touching the ball a whopping 109 times, completing 91% of his 97 attempted passes, making three key passes and accurately placing four of his seven long balls, as per Sofascore.
While he has assigned the technician to a more advanced role that has allowed his technical talents to flourish, he has also put him on set pieces, and that has proven to be a tactical masterstroke.
It was Luiz's quick thinking from a free kick that saw Villa take the lead in the 17th minute from one that looked straight from the training ground. He sprayed the ball to John McGinn on the edge of the box and the Scotsman jinked past Chiedozie Ogbene before firing past Kaminski on his weaker right.
Out of possession, the former Manchester City man was equally dominant, showcasing his ability as a destructive midfielder by winning four of his five ground duels, making four tackles, and blocking one shot.
It was as complete a midfield performance as you're ever likely to see and for Luiz this season, this level of performance has become the norm as he continues to orchestrate the Villans quest for Champions League football, as he ruthlessly dismantled Luton in and out of possession.