There are fairytales, stories that start sadly but end happily. There are movies where the protagonist goes through struggles, but in the end, survives and continues to live the best life. Similarly, there is Aston Villa and in it, Unai Emery.Six years ago, Dean Smith managed to bring the former European champion back from the Championship, but the very next season, the club was fighting for survival.C O N F I R M E DAston Villa will return to the @PremierLeague for the 2019/20 season! 🏆#AVFC pic.twitter.com/XfWq6edKY9— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 27, 2019 In July 2020, the final round of the English Premier League took place. Aston Villa faced West Ham in the final round of the English Premier League. West Ham, having already secured their survival in the top division, had nothing to play for, while Aston Villa was under the pressure of needing a victory to stay in the league.The Villa players, however, weren’t just focused on the match at the London Stadium – they were also keeping an eye on what was happening at the Emirates, where Arsenal was hosting Watford, the team that was Villa’s main threat in the relegation battle. Arsenal had a commanding 3-0 lead at one point.C O N F I R M E DAston Villa will return to the @PremierLeague for the 2019/20 season! 🏆#AVFC pic.twitter.com/XfWq6edKY9— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 27, 2019 However, Watford managed to reduce the deficit to 3-2 by the 66th minute, with goals from Troy Deeney and Danny Welbeck. Who knows what was going through the minds of Villa’s supporters at that moment, especially as Jack Grealish, Villa’s star player, scored in the 84th minute on their match. But the joy was short-lived as Andriy Yarmolenko equalized for West Ham in the 85th minute.At that point, with Arsenal winning 3-2 and 1-1 on their match, Aston Villa was above the relegation zone. With the match ending 1-1, it was just a matter of waiting for Watford’s defeat, which they eventually got. Back then, the players and fans followed the result on their phones.#OnThisDay in 2020, Aston Villa drew 1-1 with West Ham to retain their Premier League status. #avfc | #utv | #vtid pic.twitter.com/HyDRZrusJ9— Aston Villa Statto (@AVFCStatto) July 26, 2022 And the players, as well as the fans from Birmingham, welcomed their team’s stay in the top tier of English football. Truth be told, not much had changed even a few years after that. Once again, Aston Villa was fighting for the best possible placement and survival in the league, though without the same level of stress as in previous years.And then, Unai Emery happened. The Spanish coach managed to achieve something his predecessors had struggled with for a long time. With good tactics and gameplay, the brilliant strategist led Aston Villa into a major European competition.Rashford’s resurrection journey begins in Birmingham!Today, almost 5 years later, Aston Villa is once again facing challenges. The only difference is that these challenges are sweet. Ten days ago, Villa had the chance to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 with a win over Celtic at home and favorable results from other teams. For the first of the two conditions, Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rodgers stepped up, securing a convincing 4-2 victory over the Scottish club.However, just like 5 years ago, they had to wait. What Villa needed was for Atalanta to not defeat Barcelona. And everything seemed to go their way. The score in Spain was 2-2, and Villa players, under the guidance of their now much more experienced manager, Unai Emery, followed the final moments of the match on their phones.From gathering around a phone on the pitch to see if they had avoided Premier League relegation in 2020, to doing the same to see if they’ve made it into the Champions League last 16 📱Aston Villa have come a long way in five years 📈👏 pic.twitter.com/w0WggG7wBJ— GiveMeSport (@GiveMeSport) January 31, 2025 One fan wrote on X: “The Villa and Brugge players crowding round their phones waiting for the results like they’ve found out they’ve survived relegation from League One has made me indescribably happy.” It is funny, Villa really did once.FA CUP – ROUND 4Friday Man.Utd. – Leicester 2-1 (0-1)/Zirkzee 68, Maguire 90+3 – De Cordova-Reid 42/Saturday Leeds – Millwall 0-2 (0-1)/Azeez 30, 55/Leyton – Man. City 1-2 (1-0)/Ortega 16 og – Khusanov 56, De Bruyne 79/18.00: (3.00) Coventry (3.40) Ipswich (2.35)18.00: (2.85) Everton (3.40) Bournemouth (2.45)18.00: (2.20) Preston (3.40) Wycombe (3.30)18.00: (1.85) Southampton (3.50) Burnley (4.40)18.00: (2.20) Stoke (3.40) Cardiff (3.30)18.00: (11.0) Wigan (6.00) Fulham (1.25)20.45: (6.50) Birmingham (4.40) Newcastle (1.50)23.00: (3.00) Brighton (3.50) Chelsea (2.30)Sunday 15.30: (5.30) Blackburn (3.60) Wolverhampton (1.70)18.00: (19.0) Plymouth (8.50) Liverpool (1.13)20.35: (1.80) Aston Villa (3.70) Tottenham (4.40)Monday 22.45: (10.5) Doncaster (6.50) Crystal Palace (1.25)***odds are subject to change***
