Matt Targett admitted it was an “amazing” end to the season as Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in front of 10,000 supporters at Villa Park.
Bertrand Traore’s first-half finish and Anwar El Ghazi’s penalty after the break put Villa in command before Ben Chilwell grabbed a consolation for the visitors.
It ensured Dean Smith’s side completed the 2020/21 campaign with back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and the Blues, finishing in 11th place in the Premier League on 55 points – a full 20 points ahead of last season’s tally.
To make the afternoon even more memorable, it marked the long-awaited return of the club’s fans after 15 months away.
Asked whether it was a perfect end to the season, Targett told VillaTV: “Yeah, I think so.
“A very good away win (against Spurs) and to finish off with a win in front of 10,000 fans, it’s amazing.
“They (Chelsea) put us under a lot of pressure, especially in the first half when they had Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic just dropping off into little pockets, it caused us real problems.
“We had to weather the storm, defend our box well, Emi made some great saves again, like he has all season.
“But we weathered the storm, got the goal just before half-time and then kicked on from there in the second half.”
There was a vibrant and excited mood inside Villa Park, with the likes of ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ booming around the stadium once again.
Villa’s players had waited all season for the roar of the club’s supporters.
Asked how it felt to have them back, Targett replied: “Amazing.
“When you’re coming out for the warm-up, they start singing, it just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
“We’ve missed them so much this season and we can’t wait to have them back next season.
“It was 10,000 but it felt like 40,000 the noise they produced, it was amazing to have them back.”
“It was 10,000 but it felt like 40,000 the noise they produced, it was amazing to have them back.”
Matt Targett
Targett, 25, has enjoyed a campaign to remember and was rewarded by his team-mates with deserved high praise, collecting the Players’ Player of the Season award ahead of kick-off.
The reliable left-back was Villa's only outfield player to have started all 38 Premier League matches this term, and he was delighted to have received the recognition of his peers in landing the honour.
“It’s nice to win that award,” he said.
“The players you train with day in and day out, they see the hard work you put in and to get the vote and win that award, I can’t thank them enough.
“For sure, it was tough, because I could name five or six off the top of my head who all deserve it but it’s been a fantastic season personally and I look forward to next.”
You can watch Matt’s full interview below…
