Every team can be very superior, as you call it, when you go for statistical cherry picking. Aston Villa is a good team and they can beat a lot of other teams as could be noticed against Bayern Munich. They defend for a very long time and then they hit the opponent in the right moment when a mistake is made. Aston Villa is no joke, they can compete with the best. But they might not be able to do this for 38 games in the Premier League.
After the game against Bayern Munich, i had to do some statistical check on Aston villa and i found out they have been of good performance this season in their domestic league and even last season they weren't in a completely bad form so cumulatively its very possible they are an equal match with their opponent and not that they were weak as compared to their opponent its just that people had very higher expectation from their opponent because of the results they have been producing since this season in their domestic and other leagues. if they can survive so well in the very competitive premier league then most likely they shouldn't be seen as a weak side as they are indeed no joke.
Aston Villa can target full points in easier matches, and try to avoid defeat when facing bigger teams. This method is quite effective to stay in the top four of the standings, although we know they have the potential to continue the surprise, as they did in the Champions League yesterday. It is indeed not easy to maintain a level of consistency in every match, and maintain balance in every competition, because the challenges ahead will certainly be even tougher. Let's see if Aston Villa can create another surprise when facing Man United tomorrow, it should be an easier match to win than their last match.
Manchester United are in a very inconsistent form, their players are suffering from a crisis of confidence. Ten Hag has to pray a lot to be able to achieve a victory. We know Ten Hag has to work hard, but it rarely yields good results, so he has to pray. Regardless of that, Aston Villa is currently a team to be reckoned with, even Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool should be wary of them. Last season Unai Emery managed to lead his team to finish in the top four of the standings in Premier League, it is possible that he can do it again this season.