This was a narky, gnarly narrow victory but Aston Villa will not mind. After missing out on a Champions League semi-final and an FA Cup final over the previous two matches, Unai Emery’s team enhanced their chances of a top-five Premier League finish that would return them to Europe’s elite competition after Youri Tielemans’ first-half header dented Fulham’s own bid for continental competition.
Villa have now equalled their 17-match record unbeaten home run in the Premier League, set under Emery two years ago, and are level on points with Nottingham Forest, who visit Crystal Palace on Monday, and Chelsea, at home to Liverpool on Sunday, on 60 points.
Yet Emery, the Villa manager, intimated that the Champions League might have been out of reach if they had lost this game. Asked whether it would be an advantage to be playing Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the final two league games either side of the Europa League final those two plan to be contesting, Emery replied: “Bournemouth next week – so, so difficult. Then we will see. Don’t win today, then forget it. [It is about] always the next one. We want to be close for Europe but there is Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle. We will fight for it, Europe and, hopefully, Champions League.”
Tielemans has started all but two of Villa’s 54 matches this season. “His commitment with us is fantastic,” Emery said. “[With] his qualities, how we are trying to get him in our structure is very important. Last year, he was not playing as much as he deserved to get his rhythm, and in different positions. This season he can be more consistent [in central midfield] and can dominate from those positions.”
Even to qualify for any European competition for a third successive season for the first time since Martin O’Neill’s reign 15 years ago would represent the progress under Emery. But, after following a Europa Conference semi-final last season with a memorable run to the Champions League quarter-finals this time, ending up in the Europa League come the end of summer would feel like something of an anticlimax for Villa.
So taking the lead through Tielemans early in this pivotal game was just the pep they needed. The early kick-off added to the bank holiday feeling. As the sunny morning gave way to the chilly afternoon, Villa needed to show they had recharged their batteries after that flat Wembley performance when they were so supine in losing to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
● Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 17 home games in the Premier League (W10 D7), their joint-longest run in the competition.
● Fulham have lost six of their last 10 Premier League games (W4), as many as in their first 25 games of the season (W10 D9 L6), including four of their last five on the road, as many as their prior 18 matches (W8 D6 L4).
● Only Arsenal and Crystal Palace (both 16) have scored more Premier League goals this season from set pieces (excluding penalties) than Aston Villa (15).
● Youri Tielemans delivered his tenth Premier League goal involvement of the season (three goals, seven assists), his joint-most in a single campaign in the competition (also in 2020-21 and 2021-22). Opta
Morgan Rogers set about attacking Fulham with vim, and played an incisive low diagonal ball for Marco Asensio whose reluctance to shoot with his right foot did at least earn a corner. John McGinn floated the cross in with his left foot and from near the front post Tielemans was not unduly troubled by markers as he headed powerfully home his fifth Villa goal of the season.
The Villa No 8 came closest to doubling the lead when, in first-half stoppage time, he curled a superb 25-yard shot that Bernd Leno tipped aside.
Fulham came out to play more in the second half which made the game feel like basketball. Ollie Watkins spurned two great chances, missing the ball entirely from Matty Cash’s low cross from the right wing within a minute of the restart and later allowing Leno to save when released by Rogers’ superbly swerved low pass.
Ryan Sessegnon’s drive into the bottom corner of the Villa goal was disallowed for his accidental handball and Harry Wilson had a couple of very presentable chances for Fulham. But Villa survived, Donyell Malen crashing a shot against the crossbar midway through the eight minutes of added time as Villa held on for the crucial victory.
Fulham have lost four of their last five away games and must now hope eighth place will earn them a place in the Europa League, for which they must battle it out with Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford. “The second-half reaction was very good for us,” Marco Silva, the Fulham manager, said. “There were two great chances for Harry Wilson to equalise and we showed great spirit. It is a sad moment for us but we have [a week] to prepare for Everton.”
