The new year is almost here as 2021 comes to an end on Friday, bringing the curtain down on an eventful 12 months for Aston Villa.
There have been some great first-team wins throughout the calendar year and we’re taking a look back at five of the best victories for the Villans.
We start our countdown in north London…
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa
Fans finally returned to Premier League football grounds for this round of matches in May, with 10,000 Tottenham supporters delighted to be in attendance.
And they were celebrating after just eight minutes when Steven Bergwijn sent a thunderbolt flying past Emiliano Martinez.
Another Spurs player, Sergio Reguilon, was next to find the net, but on this occasion the full-back sliced a clearance and sent it looping into his own goal to level the scores.
The turnaround was complete before half-time when Ollie Watkins showed all his predatory instincts to finish from close range.
Firsr-team debuts for Academy graduates Carney Chukwuemeka and Jaden Philogene-Bidace made the win even more special.
Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea
It had been 15 long months since fans had been inside Villa Park when Chelsea arrived in B6 to close out the 2020/21 season in May.
Ten thousand sounded like a full house as those lucky enough to be in attendance roared Villa on in the early stages, with the hosts breaking through via Bertrand Traore after a well-worked set-piece just before half-time.
The winger continued to terrorise his former side, winning a penalty that was converted by spot-kick expert Anwar El Ghazi, who hit double figures for the season.
Ben Chilwell squeezed a shot over the line to set up a nervy finale, but Villa held on to end the campaign on a high.
Aston Villa 3-0 Everton
A nervy Villa Park turned into a cauldron of noise following a blistering nine-minute spell in which the home side scored three times.
Rafa Benitez had set his Everton side up to play on the counter-attack and, for 66 minutes, their tactics held Villa in check as frustration began to creep in.
But the tension was cut with a swing of Matty Cash’s left boot as the full-back rampaged forward before netting his first goal in claret and blue.
Leon Bailey was sent on shortly after the opener, making an instant impact with a corner that was deflected in before slamming home his maiden strike for the club in blistering style.
The scenes at full-time, along with a rousing rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’, added to an already uplifting win.
Manchester United 0-1 Aston Villa
Old Trafford isn’t a place that has provided many great memories for Aston Villa fans over the last 40 or so years, with the club winning only once in the league there since 1983.
But on a sunny day in late September, a polished Villa performance produced a hugely appreciated victory for the visitors and their travelling fans.
With the game looking destined to end as a draw, Kortney Hause powered home a header after 88 minutes.
The drama didn’t end there, however, with the defender giving away a penalty in stoppage time. He then breathed a huge sigh of relief when Bruno Fernandes blazed the spot-kick high over the crossbar.
Emi Martínez did a dance in delight and the victorious Villans celebrated in front of the away end.
Aston Villa 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
Villa Park rose to greet the dawning of a new era when Steven Gerrard emerged from the tunnel to take charge of his first game as head coach in November.
Heading into the match on the back of five straight defeats, the home side were desperate to score a win for the new management against a hard to beat Brighton.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium until, with the game finely poised at 0-0 after 84 minutes, Ollie Watkins darted inside and unleashed an unstoppable shot past Jason Steele.
Captain Tyrone Mings wrapped up the points in the final minute as Villa started Gerrard’s reign in the best possible way - kickstarting an impressive turnaround in fortunes.
