Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has won the Premier League Manager of the Month award after going five games unbeaten in December.
Dean Smith Wins Manager of the Month Award
Smith Guides Villa to an Unbeaten December
Dean Smith has won the award after guiding his Aston Villa side to an unbeaten December.
Villa began the month with a 1-0 win on the road against Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers before a goalless draw at home to Burnley.
Back to back 3-0 victories away to West Bromwich Albion and at home to Crystal Palace was followed up with an impressive 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
Villa scored eight goals and kept four clean sheets during the month, conceding just one goal. As a result, the Villains ended the month fifth in the Premier League table.
Dean Smith beat Carlo Ancelotti of Everton, Burnley boss Sean Dyche and Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the award.
Fourth Villa Manager to Win Award
Dean Smith has become just the fourth Aston Villa manager to win the award. Brian Little was the first Villa boss to win in January 1995, while John Gregory won twice in September 1998 and September 2001.
Martin O’Neill took the award on four separate occasions from April 2007 to April 2010.
Smith had already been nominated twice this season but lost out in September and November to Carlo Ancelotti and Nuno Espirito Santo respectively.
Villa Have Impressed This Season
Villa began the season with wins over Sheffield United and Fulham before an astonishing 7-2 win over Liverpool.
A win at Leicester City made it four wins from the opening four games before back to back home defeats.
However, Smith’s side won convincingly at Arsenal before back to back defeats. He then guided Villa to five games unbeaten in December.
But defeat at Manchester United on New Year’s day and postponement of fixtures have seen Villa drop to eighth in the table, but are just six points off a European spot with two games in hand.
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