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Tag: Aston Villa

  • EPL: Liverpool move eight points clear after Villa draw

    EPL: Liverpool move eight points clear after Villa draw

    Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League after being held to a gripping draw at Aston Villa.

    The Reds have not lost in the Premier League since being beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield in September, but were almost undone by sloppy defending and a lack of cutting edge.

    Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s 29th-minute opener, before Trent Alexander-Arnold levelled 16 minutes after the break.

    Having extended their lead over second-placed Arsenal, Arne Slot’s side go to Manchester City on Sunday in what could now be a defining week in the title race.

    The Gunners host West Ham on Saturday knowing victory, and a defeat for Liverpool at Etihad Stadium, would put them within striking distance of the leaders with a game in hand.

    Villa, with Marcus Rashford starting for the first time, remain in ninth place and five points adrift of the top four.

    Rashford was bright for the hosts and his cross was turned into his own net by Virgil van Dijk after 17 minutes, only for the forward to be correctly ruled offside.

    Salah then miscued a header, but he was on hand to open the scoring from Diogo Jota’s centre when Andres Garcia’s awful pass gifted the Portuguese forward the ball.

    Yet the lead lasted just nine minutes when Tielemans struck after the visitors failed to clear Rashford’s free-kick. After Jota wasted a fine chance, Watkins nodded Villa ahead in first-half injury time following a fine Lucas Digne cross.

    Liverpool hit back, though, with Jota hitting the bar before Salah teed up Alexander-Arnold for a deflected low effort that beat Emi Martinez.

    Substitute Darwin Nunez missed a golden chance to win it when he blazed over from five yards with 21 minutes left, while Villa’s Jacob Ramsey had a goal disallowed for offside.

    BBC

  • Aston Villa reach personal terms with Chelsea defender

    Aston Villa reach personal terms with Chelsea defender

    Aston Villa have reached an agreement on personal terms with Chelsea defender Axel Disasi.

    As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the two clubs have yet to finalize a transfer fee.

    Villa manager Unai Emery is keen on bolstering his defense following the departure of Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce.

    Disasi, who is versatile enough to play both full-back and center-back, has struggled for game time at Chelsea.

    The Frenchman has managed only six Premier League appearances this season.

    The French defender joined Chelsea from Monaco in 2023, but has found it difficult to secure a regular starting spot.

    Villa are hopeful that Disasi’s addition will strengthen their defensive options for the Premier League and Champions League.

  • EPL: Man City crisis deepens in Villa defeat

    EPL: Man City crisis deepens in Villa defeat

    Manchester City’s crisis intensified as they slipped to another damaging defeat at Aston Villa.

    Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers goals meant Phil Foden’s late reply for the visitors was little consolation.

    Defending champions City have dropped to sixth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more, while Villa have moved above them into fifth.

    It is now nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions for City, who are winless in their last eight away matches, as their season continues to spiral downwards.

    Guardiola made six changes from the Manchester derby defeat last week but it made little difference during another laboured performance.

    Villa, who had won just three of their previous 11 top-flight games, earned a much-needed victory, one which keeps their top-four hopes firmly alive.

    They were rarely troubled, although Emi Martinez saved well from Foden in the first half, and Villa continually found ways past City’s frail backline.

    The tone was set inside the first minute as City needed Stefan Ortega, in for the injured Ederson, to twice bail them out.

    He brilliantly turned Pau Torres’ header on to the bar, the goalkeeper clawing the ball out from almost over the line, having already saved from Duran following Josko Gvardiol’s mistake after just 15 seconds.

    Worse was to come after 16 minutes when City were sliced open by Youri Tielemans’ brilliant through-ball. He found Rogers to advance and unselfishly square for Duran to beat Ortega.

    City were unable to respond until it was too late and Rogers, who spent two years at Etihad Stadium without making a senior City appearance, sealed victory for Villa with a fine low finish after 65 minutes, making Foden’s injury-time strike meaningless.

    BBC

  • Chelsea hammer Aston Villa 3-0 at Samford Bridge

    Chelsea hammer Aston Villa 3-0 at Samford Bridge

    QChelsea climbed to third place with a 3-0 win against spluttering Aston Villa at Samford Bridge on Sunday.

    The Blues extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games as Villa’s dismal winless streak reached eight matches.

    Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insisted this week that his young team are not title contenders in the first season of his rebuilding job..

     

    But they look capable of at least securing Champions League qualification after a third successive win in the space of eight days moved them level on points with second-placed Arsenal.

    The famous Champions League victory over Bayern Munich in October feels like a distant memory for 12th placed Villa, who have won only once in the Premier League since then.

    Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea in front after just seven minutes with his eighth goal this season.

    The Senegal striker met Marc Cucurella’s cross with a volley from eight yards that beat Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez via the near post.

    Villa appealed in vain for a foul by Cucurella on Jaden Philogene in the build-up to the goal.

    Enzo Fernandez added to Villa’s frustration in the 36th minute as the midfielder took a clever touch before firing home from 12 yards.

    Cole Palmer grabbed his eighth goal this season with a superb finish from the edge of the area in the 83rd minute.

  • Arsenal set to launch £75m bid for Aston Villa striker

    Arsenal set to launch £75m bid for Aston Villa striker

    Arsenal are preparing a huge move for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran with a bid that could reach well over £75m as manager Mikel Arteta looks to steal away the forward from their Premier League rivals.

    Gunners forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus failed to make an impact on Saturday as Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth in a shock result that ended the club’s unbeaten streak and put a dent in their title hopes.

    The pair also drew a blank against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

    According to AS, Arsenal are eyeing up the prospect of adding another No9 to their ranks with Duran being their top candidate due to his impressive form that has led him to 7 goals in just 12 appearances.

    The 20-year-old recently signed a new contract to keep him at Villa until June 2030, but he has limited minutes under manager Unai Emery, who has preferred to use him as an impact substitute rather than a starting forward.

    AS reports that Villa will accept “no less than” £75m for the Colombian forward which would make Duran the second-most expensive player in Arsenal’s history, behind the £105m they spent on Declan Rice from West Ham United in 2023.

    Tribalfootball

  • Man Utd earn battling draw against Aston Villa

    Man Utd earn battling draw against Aston Villa

    Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will hope a battling draw at Aston Villa will relieve the fierce scrutiny of his position.

    The club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was in attendance at Villa Park to see United at least show some of the resilience that was missing in the collapse at home to Tottenham and the defensive solidity lacking in Porto in the Europa League.

    Ten Hag turned to the veteran duo of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans to add some steel, although he lost the England defender to injury right on half-time.

    Marcus Rashford twice tested Villa keeper Emi Martinez while United captain Bruno Fernandes came closest with a second half free-kick that bounced back off the bar at the Holte End. Substitute Antony also forced Martinez into an acrobatic save from long range.

    United keeper Andre Onana was relatively untroubled, although he did well to athletically push away a power drive from Villa midfield man Youri Tielemans.

    Ten Hag must now hope Ratcliffe and the rest of United’s watching hierarchy saw enough to keep faith with the Dutchman, although this draw means they are still five games without a win.

  • 41years after, Aston Villa stun German Giants 1-0 at home

    41years after, Aston Villa stun German Giants 1-0 at home

    Aston Villa stunned Bayern Munich as Jhon Duran’s winner beat the German giants 1-0 on Wednesday.

    The Colombian striker caught Manuel Neuer off his line 11 minutes from time to make it two wins from two games for Villa in their first experience of Champions League football for 41 years.

    Bayern arrived at Villa Park unbeaten and in free-scoring form since Vincent Kompany took charge.

    But the visitors were stifled by Unai Emery’s gameplan and caught out when Duran latched onto Pau Torres’ long pass and fired over Neuer from long range.

    Prince William was among the over 40,000 Villa fans who inspired Emery’s men to shrug off the vast gulf in Champions League pedigree between the sides.

    Just five years ago Villa were languishing in the second tier of English football, but they have enjoyed a meteoric rise since the Spaniard took charge under two years ago.

    After a comfortable 3-0 win over Young Boys in Switzerland two weeks ago, the visit of the six-time European champions was the sort of glamour tie Villa fans had been relishing and it did not disappoint.

    Harry Kane overcame an ankle injury that forced him off late on in Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.

  • Delap double helps Ipswich draw with Aston Villa

    Delap double helps Ipswich draw with Aston Villa

    Ipswich Town played out a fourth straight Premier League draw after they held Aston Villa 2-2 on Sunday at Portman Road.

    Liam Delap opened the scoring for the home side before grabbing the equaliser in the second half.

    Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins scored for Villa in the first half before Delap grabbed his second but neither side could find a winner as promoted Ipswich continue to wait for a first win on their return to the Premier League.

    Villa missed the chance to go level on points with leaders Liverpool as Unai Emery’s side are in fifth place on 13 points – behind Chelsea on goal difference – while Ipswich are 15th with four points.

    “It was really good and we showed what we are about from minute one and we created so many chances.

    “It was a really good result for us and we probably deserved the win after the second half performance,” Delap told Sky Sports.

    “I think it’s the fourth time we’ve got something from a game so we are happy,” he insisted.

    In an end-to-end first half, Ipswich took an early lead when Villa failed to clear the ball and Jack Clarke cut the ball back for Delap, whose first-time shot slipped through goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s glove even though he had the near post covered.

    But Villa responded seven minutes later when Jacob Greaves gave the ball away in a poor clearance, with Rogers picking it up in the box and playing a one-two with Watkins before firing home the equaliser.

    Portman Road was quickly silenced when Leon Bailey whipped in a cross that took out both Ipswich centre backs and Watkins made it 2-1 with a header for his fourth goal of the season.

    Ipswich had two glorious opportunities to level but Martinez came to Villa’s rescue when he palmed away a rocket of a shot from Kalvin Phillips before sticking a leg out to deny Delap when he was clean through on goal.

    The game calmed down in the second half but Ipswich were in the ascendancy and they equalised on a counter-attack after 72 minutes when Delap beat the offside trap and got the better of Diego Carlos with a sublime shimmy before beating Martinez.

    “They always put a lot of pressure on us and we couldn’t really implement our game plan,” Watkins said.

    “Ipswich were always on to us and it was a bit of a basketball game, which is what they wanted but we didn’t. It was a difficult game and I think a point is a fair result,” he added.

  • EPL: Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa park

    EPL: Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa park

    Arsenal overcame a stern test from their long-time nemesis Aston Villa to secure a significant victory in a thrilling match at Villa Park.

    In a game defined by the performances of the two goalkeepers, Arsenal’s David Raya made an incredible second-half save to deny Ollie Watkins with the score still level, while Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez committed a costly error, allowing Thomas Partey’s shot to slip through his hands and give the Gunners a crucial two-goal lead.

     

    Arsenal held on despite Watkins missing a golden opportunity to put Villa ahead in the first half.

    The turning point came after the break when Raya made a remarkable one-handed save from Watkins, after Amadou Onana’s shot had rebounded off the bar.

     

    Mikel Arteta’s team capitalized on their momentum, taking the lead in the 67th minute when substitute Leandro Trossard, on the pitch for just moments, coolly finished past Martinez.

    Partey then doubled Arsenal’s advantage 10 minutes later, sealing a victory that was particularly satisfying after Villa’s league double dented their title hopes last season.

  • EPL: Kelechi Iheanacho eyes Aston Villa, rejects improved contract at Leicester City

    EPL: Kelechi Iheanacho eyes Aston Villa, rejects improved contract at Leicester City

    According to sources close to Kelechi Iheanacho, the Super Eagles striker had an opportunity to remain at Leicester City but decided to reject a new contract offer from the recently promoted Premier League club.

     

    “Leicester City offered an improved contract with about a 20% increase to ‘Senior Man,’ but he asked for more. When that wasn’t forthcoming, he chose to move on,” the source revealed to SCORENigeria.

     

    The 27-year-old striker currently has a Transfermarkt valuation of 12 million euros.

    However there are reports making the rounds that the players is being eyed by English Premier League side and UEFA champions League bound Aston Villa.