It was by no means pretty but it was a case of yet another job done.
A remarkable 13th win in 20 games since the arrival of Unai Emery in Birmingham.
Out of a possible 60 points, 42 taken. From fighting relegation to fighting for a place in Europe.
If there was a moment that perhaps encapsulated the impact that Emery has had at Aston Villa, in getting the very best out of the squad he inherited in October, then it was the deciding goal itself on Tuesday night.
Steven Gerrard stripped Tyrone Mings of the captaincy and handed John McGinn the armband before the season had even started.
And it was the pair who combined, with Mings heading in from McGinn’s corner to give Villa the lead from a pre-meditated set piece routine.
‘The manager’s been telling me that if I don’t score, he’s going to drop me,’ joked Mings post-match.
It was Mings’ first Premier League goal for Villa in 55 appearances, since netting against Brighton in November 2021.
‘I am pushing him (Mings) in training when we are preparing for set-pieces. I was telling him he’s a tall player and we have to use you to combine with you,’ said Emery. ‘You have to believe in yourself, you have to do it. We won 1-0 and it was through him and that’s important.
Under Emery, Mings may not have won back the armband but the 30-year-old has gone from strength to strength alongside Ezri Konsa at the back.
Since losing to Arsenal in February, Villa have conceded just three times in ten games.
But it would be too simplistic to focus on Mings alone.
Emery has found another level for almost every player at Villa.
Bar the excellent Alex Moreno at left-back, who arrived from Real Betis in January, the other ten Villa players who started against Fulham were all part of the setup that won just two of their first 11 games - against Everton and Southampton - this season.
In fact, all ten of them featured in the 3-0 defeat at Craven Cottage in October, when Gerrard was sacked less than an hour after the final whistle.
From Emi Martinez with the gloves to Ollie Watkins up top, Villa have grown in confidence throughout with their patient build-up play from the back.
‘Every single player, including the players on the bench, know exactly what they need to do on the pitch,’ said Leon Bailey to talkSport in January.
Even 37-year-old Ashley Young has thrived at full back, while Matty Cash has been out injured, and his energy down the right flank combined with Moreno’s down the left has seen Villa offer a constant threat in possession.
That obsession with making the pitch big is a common theme to Emery’s success thus far.
From the press box in the Trinity Road stand at Villa Park, you could hear him constantly shouting his demands in Spanish to Moreno.
In the end, the win was ultimately comfortable rather than convincing as Villa made it five straight home wins in the top-flight with a clean sheet.
Not since April 1983 have they achieved such a feat.
‘We don’t want to stop here. We want to make this season really special. We want to bring European football back here,’ said McGinn. ‘We’ve got five games left and hopefully we can do it.’
Asked whether European football was now an expectation late on Tuesday evening, you got a sense of the journey that Emery is on.
'I think the dreams, they are here – OK, it is good I think for everybody, and we can share with our supporters. But I was speaking with the team – I like to play key matches. Like today,’ he said.
One thing is for sure, Emery is not here to waste time.