Will Aston Villa hold on to their place in the Champions League?
Villa’s run of three wins in nine league games has opened the door to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool
By WhoScored
Two months ago, Aston Villa were just three points off top spot in the Premier League. They were on a run of 12 wins in 14 games that included victories against Manchester City and Arsenal. Their run of eight consecutive wins in the league was their best since they won 10 in a row in 1910. You wouldn’t have blamed Villa fans for daring to dream about lifting their first league title since 1981.
But success breeds expectation, and expectation carries its own cruel weight. Arsenal tore Villa apart in a 4-1 win in late December and victories have been hard to come by in the new year – they have only won three of their last nine league games. Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are still below them in the table but the gap is narrowing. With games against United and Chelsea coming in March, the top-three spot Villa have occupied since they beat Wolves in late November suddenly looks in jeopardy. So does their place in the Champions League next season.
