(Football news) The Villains have the opportunity to accomplish a league double over the Bees for the first time in 77 years if they win all three games at home, like they did in the rematch four months prior, 2-1. Manchester City, the defending champions, defeated Aston Villa 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium, resulting in Villa’s first Premier League away loss of 2024.
For a large portion of the first half, the Villains held their own, and even though Duran scored his sixth goal of the year to offset an early Rodri goal, they trailed 2-1 at the break after a clumsy wall allowed Foden to curl a free kick into the bottom corner, with Zaniolo being the main offender for turning his back.
Unai Emery’s men offered a threat on the counter-attack, but Foden completed his hat-trick with two brilliant strikes in the space of seven second-half minutes to condemn a depleted Aston Villa side to their eighth league loss of the campaign.
Once deemed dark horses for the Premier League title earlier this season, Aston Villa are now focused on consolidating their place in the top four for the first time since 1995-96, but that task is currently out of their own hands, as Tottenham Hotspur – who sit just two points behind them in fifth – can leapfrog the Villains if they win their game in hand.
Fifth may still suffice for Champions League qualification, but uncertainties over UEFA’s coefficient rankings means that Villa cannot rest on their laurels and will be keen to finish the season strongly, starting with victory on Saturday against a Brentford side whom they have beaten in two of their last three league meetings, including a 4-0 win in their last head-to-head at Villa Park in October 2022.
Brentford’s winless streak now stands at eight games after they managed to salvage a point in a 1-1 tie with Manchester United the previous weekend. On Wednesday night, they were locked in a goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Bees had more chances to score at home than the Seagulls, who had 67% of the possession and 24 shots on goal. However, Andy Madley, the referee, saved the day by choosing to overturn VAR’s call and award Brighton a penalty when Yoane Wissa appeared to have fouled Lewis Dunk in the area.
