The third and final instalment of our 2024/25 season review begins with Aston Villa still fighting on three fronts - facing a Champions League last 16 tie and FA Cup fourth round clash as well as regular duties in the Premier League.
The squad was bolstered at the beginning of the new year with the arrivals of Andrés García, Donyell Malen, Axel Disasi, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio in the winter transfer window, adding quality and European pedigree.
Asensio and Rashford debuted as home comforts helped Villa to continue to progress in the FA Cup, overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in round four, with Cardiff City swept aside in round five. Three home games in seven days brought draws against Ipswich Town and leaders Liverpool before Asensio netted his first goals for the club in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
A mixed bag of results in February was followed by an unbeaten March. An early Leon Bailey goal in Belgium got Villa’s round of 16 first leg off to a great start against Club Brugge, with two late goals sealing a 3-1 lead to take back to B6. Three goals in 11 second-half minutes in the second leg racked up a 6-1 aggregate triumph and booked our place in the quarter-finals.
Sandwiched in between the two European ties was a hard-fought 1-0 win at Brentford, which came via the boot of Watkins. Rashford got off the mark with a brace at Preston North End, with Jacob Ramsey contributing the other in a 3-0 success at Deepdale to take the team into the FA Cup semi-finals.
Eight games awaited in April as Emery’s squad continued to compete on three fronts, kicking off their busy schedule with a tremendous 3-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium. Rashford, Asensio and Malen - the latter netting his first for the club - sent the away support home in high spirits.
The Dutchman was on target again three days later as Nottingham Forest were downed 2-1 at Villa Park, sending the team off to Paris in good shape for the first leg of our Champions League quarter-final.
Despite taking the lead through Rogers in the French capital, a stoppage-time strike from Nuno Mendes left Villa with a two-goal deficit to overcome at home.
Our famous stadium rose to the occasion, creating an atmosphere befitting of the magnitude of the match. Supporters, players and staff were clearly up for the challenge, even after PSG moved 5-1 ahead on aggregate.
Villa refused to lie down and roared back with goals from Tielemans, McGinn and Ezri Konsa to move within a goal of taking the tie to extra-time. Gianluigi Donnarumma produced some world-class saves as the French champions survived a huge wobble to progress, but the Villa faithful were rightly proud of their team as the club’s maiden Champions League campaign came to an end.
A sublime Watkins goal had helped see off Southampton in between the two legs versus PSG, and Villa quickly rebounded from their European exit with one of their best displays of the season. Newcastle United were thrashed 4-1 in B6 as the hosts clocked up an emphatic win courtesy of goals from Watkins, Ian Maatsen, Ramsey and Onana. It was a significant goal for Villa’s No.11, who moved level with Gabby Agbonlahor as the club’s record Premier League goalscorer.
A tough week followed as Manchester City struck late to snatch a 2-1 Premier League win before Crystal Palace were victorious in our FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. As has been the trend under Emery since his arrival, the disappointment was quickly put behind the team as focus turned to achieving a top-five finish in the top flight. A header from Tielemans was the match-winning moment as Fulham were beaten 1-0 on home turf.
The club was rocked by the news of the passing of two former players the day after. Homegrown goalkeeper Jake Findlay and FA Cup-winner Peter McParland sadly passed away, leading to an outpouring of emotion from fans at the FA Youth Cup final, which presented supporters with the first opportunity to pay tribute to both players at Villa Park as Jimmy Shan's under-18s lifted the trophy for a fifth time with a 3-1 win over Manchester City - the first of three pieces of silverware as the Young Lions went on to achieve an unprecedented domestic treble.
The Premier League season continued with a trip to sunny Bournemouth, and it proved to be a milestone match for one Villan in particular. Watkins’ deciding goal saw him become the club’s top scorer in the competition, unseating Agbonlahor at the top of the list. The win and results elsewhere guaranteed Unai Emery's men would be playing European football again in 2025/26, for the third successive season.
Still, their work continued, with a top five finish and another journey in the Champions League the ambition. Villa took their quest to the campaign's final day as second-half strikes from Ezri Konsa and Boubacar Kamara sealed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Villa Park's final Premier League game of the campaign, as Emery's players thanked the B6 faithful for another term of incredible backing, with their customary lack of appreciation after full-time.
And so, after Youri Tielemans had picked up both Supporters' Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season at our End of Season Awards, before Villa's all-new 2025/26 away strip was unveiled the following day, our campaign concluded at Old Trafford.
Villa entered the clash level on points with both Chelsea and Newcastle, with the race for the top five places still wide open. Emi Martínez's dismissal just before the break came with the score at 0-0, but goals after the break from Amad Diallo and Christian Eriksen - along with wins for both Chelsea and Man City - meant it would be the Europa League for Villa in 2025/26, the first time the club will participate past the competition's qualifying round since its rebrand from the UEFA Cup in 2009.
Up the Villa! 💜
