Aston Villa Delight: Liverpool Undone by Wigan Athletic

Aston Villa's hopes of attaining that prized fourth place in the Premier League took a colossal turn for the better on Monday, as Wigan Athletic dispatched former title winning hopefuls Liverpool.

Hugo Rodallega helped out Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur in their quest for the UEFA Champions League when he got the only goal in a 1-0 win at the DW Stadium.

Contrary to what some might think, the result leaves Aston Villa in pole position for the chequered Champions League flag.

Looking at the current Premier League it would seem not, as Villa are plunged down in seventh, with Liverpool three points ahead, and both Manchester City and Tottenham four points ahead.

However, Aston Villa have a game in hand over Manchester City, two games in hand over Tottenham, and a whopping three games in hand over Liverpool.

Villa's next three Premier League fixtures are against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, the aforementioned Wigan Athletic on the newly relaid pitch at the DW Stadium, all before entertaining Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park.

For the Villans, those are three must-win and also fairly easy matches. Another home game against Sunderland awaits, before ending March with the FA Cup semifinal rehearsal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Leading up to the Chelsea game, Villa should theoretically win all four matches, and after the Chelsea game, they face no other "Big Four" side.

Providing key players stay fit and nobody in the team loses their focus, by the time Aston Villa have gained level ground with all games played in the Premier League, they could well be front of the queue for the fourth UEFA Champions League place.

Monday's disastrous result for Liverpool at Wigan was a severe blow for Rafael Benitez and his men, and a massive boost for Tottenham and Manchester City.

But mainly, it was the optimum result Villa could've wished for, as they can now count another team they should shortly be more superior than.

And so, as Liverpool punctures their tires and are forced to stop, Aston Villa will surely overtake and could well end up taking that so far elusive chequered flag, providing boss Martin O'Neill can get his strategy right.

Then again, take nothing for granted, because football and Formula One are unassailably similar in one aspect. They are most likely the two most idiosyncratic sports in the world today, especially English football and the 2009-10 Premier League season.