Aston Villa beat Liverpool 4-2 to move into fourth place and confirm their top-five finish in the Premier League, booking their spot in Europe’s premier club competition in the process.

Villa scored at good times. Liverpool were on top, Villa scored. Liverpool equalised, Villa scored. Liverpool made some sort of noise about going for it, Villa scored. Then scored again.

It could be argued that 4-2 flattered Liverpool and that Virgil van Dijk’s two goals, while sloppy defensively from a Villa point of view, were mere footnotes.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 6

Poor kick-out after 12 minutes and again five minutes later but his teammates bailed him out. Spilled a shot to the feet of Cody Gakpo, who was offside. Saved much more cleanly from Dominik Szoboszlai after half an hour.

Got off his line quickly on a couple of occasions in the second half and saved well from Federico Chiesa with eight minutes to go.

Matty Cash - 6

Handled his business relatively well in a tough direct duel against Rio Ngumoha with plenty of support from his teammates but the winger was always a threat. One shot and some final passes left a bit to be desired. Got away with a dangerous throw-in to nobody in the middle of the first half but generally very reliable with the ball.

Too soft for Liverpool’s equaliser. Given a ridiculous yellow card.

Ezri Konsa - 7

Good feet under pressure to turn Gakpo in his own box in the first half. Competent with the ball and rarely called into serious individual defensive action. Took up residence in the capacious head of Alexis Mac Allister in the final quarter of the game.

Pau Torres - 7

Leant on his reading of the game to marshal the back line. Won some important headers in the Villa penalty area. Occasionally able to play neat passes through or into midfield. Superb standing tackle to stop a Szoboszlai run on the hour. Sensational clipped pass in behind for Lucas Digne in the middle of the second half.

Lucas Digne - 7

Covered well to clear a cross from the Liverpool left early in the game and demonstrated solid one-on-one defending on the left. Played a big part in the goal that put Villa in front and claimed the assist as a result. Battled his cœur out with Villa in the lead.

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Victor Lindelöf - 6

Key to Villa playing out with his back to goal, linking with Konsa and turning the ball out for Cash on the right. Useful aerial presence at the base of the midfield but was withdrawn at half time.

Youri Tielemans - 6

First proper pass was a pinpoint clip over the top but he wasn’t able to get involved much in possession as Liverpool started to control the game in the middle of the first half. Started to come into the game at 1-0, looking after the ball and coming up with some strong running in possession. Longer passing was a mixed bag.

John McGinn - 8

Seemed to have all the time in the world on the ball. Started quickly to win the ball back from a sleeping opponent in the second minute. Seemed to have all the time in the world on the ball and used it well consistently. Shared the 1-0 pre-assist with Austin MacPhee. Curled a stunning fourth into the top corner with two minutes to go.

Morgan Rogers - 7

Strong run and clever supply for Ollie Watkins after an early turnover. Not decisive enough on a couple of occasions in the final third – that can happen with an instinctive creative player but it has to come with something special more often than it has of late. We got it here in the form of a superbly taken opening goal just before the break.

Sent in a few smart crosses that were dangerous more than precise, and ruthlessly punished Szoboszlai’s slip for 2-1.

Emi Buendía - 7

Full of graft out of possession and was able to win the ball and fouls on the counter-press. Defended resolutely in front of the Villa goal at set plays. Clever through ball for Watkins that led to a good chance in the first half. Hit the bar and post in one with a wonderful shot with 20 minutes left. Substituted late.

Ollie Watkins - 9

Had his first shot on target on the turn in the second minute. Skinned Virgil van Dijk but blazed over a few minutes later. Limited involvement in the first half after a busy start but held the ball up nicely when Villa got into the attacking third. Smuggled in Villa’s second goal after Szoboszlai slipped.

Could have had a hat-trick even before he tucked in Villa’s third goal from close range to crown a terrific second half.

Substitutes

Ross Barkley (for Lindelöf, HT) - On at half time and slotted straight into the midfield two. Looked after the ball nicely with his first involvement. Looked capable of creating something when he was able to get the ball out in front of him and run. 6

Ian Maatsen (for Buendía, 84) - Late substitute. N/A

Douglas Luiz (for Tielemans, 90) - Late substitute. N/A

Jadon Sancho (for McGinn, 90) -Late substitute. N/A

Villa need to finish in the top five places in the Premier League until such time as they don’t. To see things any other way would be to take the Europa League final for granted, which couldn’t be more stupid.

What should be a matter of balancing priorities is in fact more like one must-win match after another, yet the timing – and this is down to nothing other than Villa’s failings on the pitch – means that Friday’s league game against Liverpool must be outranked by Istanbul.

Unai Emery will name a team for this match with the final in mind. He’ll believe they can win it and he might be right.

As little faith as I have in Villa to pull off a passable second-string performance, the issue against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend was to do with attitude and appetite, not ability.

Liverpool, Villa’s Premier League opponents on Friday, are beatable. There’s been little suggestion in recent weeks that Villa will beat them in these circumstances but stranger things happen in football every day.

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Aston Villa picked up one Premier League point from matches against relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur and relegation-sorted Burnley, leaving themselves vulnerable in the Champions League places with only fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City remaining.

The Europa League final in between will have an effect for sure, which is why winning one of the previous two matches was so important. It wasn’t to be.

I don’t think the Spurs and Burnley matches had much in common. Villa didn’t throw the game against Burnley away in the same way as the previous league match against Spurs.

A little bit of sloppy play at inopportune moments from a couple of top performers proved very costly but I’d assess this as an average overall performance rather than a disastrous one.

Villa should already be over the line in the league. Instead, Emery and his players must now pull off something a bit special.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of Burnley match conclusions:

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Aston Villa had a much better attitude against Burnley but a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor in the Premier League showed just how damaging it can be to leave points on the table when there are so few remaining.

Unai Emery’s team conceded early and slowly clawed their way into the game, scoring before and after half time to briefly take the lead. But when you need a win, conceding twice is a pretty good way to give yourselves a problem.

It was another frustrating league outing for Villa, who are now very likely to need something from the last two fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City. With a European final in between, that’s as worrying as it was avoidable.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 6

Saved from Lesley Ugochukwu but palmed the ball straight to Jaidon Anthony to open the scoring – a split-second error but a costly one. Forced to take on a player in front of goal a minute into the second half and handled it well. Nothing he could do about Burnley’s second.

Pinged a brilliant long pass in behind for Morgan Rogers a minute later, showing fantastic vision and execution, which were on display again as he got an assist for Ollie Watkins to make it 2-1.

Matty Cash - 4

Looked to get forward on the right and was one of Villa’s most involved attacking players in the first quarter of the game. Caught in possession in the build-up to Burnley’s equalising goal and again in their half just before he was substituted.

Ezri Konsa - 6

Slipped in front of his own goal to allow Zian Flemming a chance from which he should have scored but otherwise solid defensively and with the ball. Did well one-on-one to stop Anthony on the break.

Tyrone Mings - 5

Had to have his wits about him as the last man on turnovers but far too casual in possession at times. Increased the rate of forward passes in the second half, finding Villa feet regularly.

Ian Maatsen - 4

Outsmarted by Loum Tchaouna in the fourth minute, which was a bad sign of what was to come in a difficult first 35 minutes. Made a good run early in the second half but overcooked it and took the ball over the byline. Substituted with just over quarter of an hour left.

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Victor Lindelöf - 7

Started in midfield again and was the first Villa player to nip in and pinch the ball after Burnley started on the front foot. Key winner of aerial balls. Sharp and composed passing at the base of the midfield. Did his bit defensively in transition too. Substituted after 73 minutes.

Youri Tielemans - 5

Too slow with the ball as Burnley made a determined start. Villa were most able to play through the lines when Tielemans got on the ball. Forced Max Weiss to tip over a shot from 20 yards late in the first period.

John McGinn - 6

Tremendous pass to Morgan Rogers in the third minute. Gradually started to get involved but his final ball in the first 30 minutes was lacking and set piece delivery was poor until a perfect corner to set up Ross Barkley’s header. Won another corner with a thumping half-volley that was blocked. Protected the ball brilliantly at times.

Didn’t make the most of a couple of late chances at the back post and went off with five minutes left.

Ross Barkley - 6

Lack of pace in transition was limiting but the quality of his passing helped to balance it out. Villa didn’t really feed him, which would be the only way to get a proper impact out of him. More effective when he dropped deeper. Made some good contributions in the press. Moved into midfield after Villa’s first substitutions.

Dragged a good chance wide after half an hour but got all of a shot from outside the box in the 42nd minute, and glanced in the equaliser from the resulting corner. Substituted late.

Morgan Rogers - 5

Good movement but poor finish in the first few minutes. Started to get into the game as he drifted inwards from the left and did some excellent tracking back in the first half. Quick reaction and quality cross to set up Watkins’ disallowed header.

Ollie Watkins - 6

Very nearly spot-on movement for yet another close-range goal, this time a disallowed header. Limited involvement in the first half but showed the strength of his all-round frontman’s game.

Gave the ball away to give Burnley a chance after the break just as they were in the ascendancy but tucked the ball in to give Villa the lead not 30 seconds later. Superb finish after escaping the defenders. Nearly had an assist for Barkley at 2-2.

Substitutes

Emi Buendía (for Lindelöf, 74) - Standard Buendía fare. Villa’s biggest threat while he was on the pitch. 7

Lucas Digne (for Maatsen, 74) - First contribution was a great cross for McGinn and did his defensive duties. 6

Douglas Luiz (for Barkley, 80) - Late substitute. N/A

Lamare Bogarde (for Cash, 80) - Late substitute. N/A

Leon Bailey (for McGinn, 85) - Late substitute. N/A

Aston Villa booked their place in the final with a win over Nottingham Forest but there’s work to be done in the league too and they can’t afford to take their eye off the ball. At least, not yet.

The focus for Unai Emery this weekend is on the push for a Champions League berth through Villa’s position in the Premier League, an objective that would be a step closer to being met with a win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.

It’s clear that Emery is trying to manage his squad through two competitions and it’s not easy. The performance against Tottenham Hotspur a week ago was all the evidence of that you could need.

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Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate to win their Europa League semi-final and set up a final against Freiburg in Istanbul in a couple of weeks’ time. They were magnificent.

Villa played with such fire. It was wonderful to watch and gratifying to see them get the reward for their efforts. This was a historic night for the club, which now stands 90 minutes away from glory. If they play like that again, with that level of intent and desire, they’ll get what they deserve.

I’d hope Villa immediately turned their attentions to Sunday’s match at Burnley, for there is work still to be done in the Premier League, but I’m still basking in this one just as I wallowed miserably in the Spurs performance.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions:

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Villa were incredible in their semi-final second leg demolition of Nottingham Forest – just absolutely incredible. They were energetic from the start, bold, and they won 4-0 thanks to a wonderful opener, a penalty from a player putting in the performance of his life, and a double from the King of Villa Park.

Freiburg await in the Europa League final on Wednesday 20th May and I can’t quite believe I’ve just typed that out loud.

Unai Emery has taken some warranted criticism lately. There’s no questioning this.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 8

Willing to move the ball quickly and played his part in Villa’s goal in the first half with one of several long passes looking for Ollie Watkins one-on-one with his marker. Good vision and quick off his line to sweep up behind the defence late in the first half.

Made a good one-on-one save from Chris Wood at 2-0. The flag went up but it would have been a very tight call on review.

Matty Cash - 7

Sorted Igor Jesus out with a big tackle early in the game. Decent quality from in-swinging corners. More involved early in the second half, combining on the right with John McGinn.

Ezri Konsa - 8

Brave short passing under the press from Forest and was primarily involved in possession in the first half. Did some excellent work with the ball at his feet. Tidy defensively when called upon, including in first-half stoppage time when he overpowered Wood brilliantly.

Pau Torres - 9

Key interception under his own crossbar to thwart Wood, and produced some terrific one-on-one defending to overpower him on quarter of an hour. Handled the big striker well and was all but immaculate throughout.

Glancing header forced a save from Stefan Ortega from an early Villa corner. Fouled in the six-yard box for Villa’s penalty.

Lucas Digne - 7

Wading through treacle when Omari Hutchinson got a shot away inside the first ten minutes. Seldom tested after that point but everything he did, he did well.

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Youri Tielemans - 7

Quietly served as Villa’s connector. Zipped a low shot just wide of the post at 0-0. Neat and tidy, nothing spectacular, just very much at home on the big stage.

Victor Lindelöf - 7

Big contribution before he was substituted with 17 minutes to go. Settled quickly into midfield. Not perfect or polished but happy enough with the ball and not scared of anyone or any moment. Useful defensive cover when needed.

John McGinn - 9

An ideal blend of energy and composure in possession. Crosses and corner deliveries looked a threat from the right. Fabulous skill to set Villa away on a break after 17 minutes, ultimately leading to a free kick and a yellow card.

Busy in the Forest half after the break as Villa worked to double the lead. Could have added a third goal soon after they did. Did add a delightful third with 14 minutes left, and a carbon copy for a fourth just a few minutes later.

Set the tone. He usually does. He’s a true Villa hero.

Emi Buendía - 9

His best Villa performance by far. Scuffed the first effort of a bright start in the attacking third. Quick feet to win a free kick in the middle of the first half and superb work to win the ball back right by the Forest box after 25 minutes, leading to a corner. Phenomenal footwork to make the goal that put Villa in front. Incredible.

Scored a super penalty to make it 2-0 on the night and might have had another with 20 minutes remaining. Did the dirty work in the middle and in his own box too.

Morgan Rogers - 8

Started with the bit between his teeth on the press and always involved in transition. Didn’t grab the headlines in the first half but made some very important little touches to retain the ball with Villa fizzing it around.

A monster when it came to picking up second balls with his back to goal. Grew into the game and linked really well with Watkins, most notably for the goal that made it 3-0.

Ollie Watkins - 9

Sensational. Won Villa an early free kick with excellent hold-up play and not for the last time in a superb first half that he capped with a tap-in – albeit with world-class movement to get there. Could have had another within minutes and forced a good save from Ortega. Assisted McGinn’s first goal.

Always looking to get the run on defenders from long passes from the goalkeeper. Sent a header on target from a corner at 0-0 and got a bang in the face for his troubles.

Substitutes

Lamare Bogarde (for Lindelöf, 74) - Straight swap into midfield. Sorry, Lamare. I was too excited to really watch by then. 5

Jadon Sancho (for Buendía, 86) - Late substitute. N/A

Tyrone Mings (for Rogers, 90) - Late substitute. N/A

Douglas Luiz (for Torres, 90) - Late substitute. N/A

Leon Bailey (for McGinn, 90) - Late substitute. N/A

Aston Villa are 1-0 down on aggregate after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie against Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest. Concluding the semi-final at Villa Park is an advantage for which they worked hard much earlier in the season, yet it seems like every bit of that and more has been squandered in the last few weeks.

Forest have the lead and are the form team of the two by a country mile. Getting through this second leg is a serious undertaking for Unai Emery’s team and the confidence of supporters is at rock bottom.

Emery and some of his players have called for a united front on Thursday night and rightly so.

It is the only way Villa will overturn the deficit but the prospect of the supporters and the team firing one another up in beautiful throaty harmony has never felt further away.

Still, stranger things have happened. It’s a colossal ask in the current situation but Villa have done this before.

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Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 at home by Tottenham Hotspur, sparking a load of external guff about letting an appalling Spurs team off the hook and an army of enraged Villa supporters trying to get their heads round what exactly the plan was supposed to be.

Unai Emery evidently sees the Europa League as his priority. He chose not to acknowledge it publicly but this was a compromised line-up for a Premier League match that mattered.

There’s an argument that putting out a team like that would be tantamount to shamefully tossing away the game even if Villa had already achieved their aims in the league. They haven’t.

Making the first substitution after an hour and the next two with five minutes left of a showing like that was a tacit admission that Villa just didn’t really give a shit. I cannot fathom that in any circumstances, never mind at this stage of a season that could yet end with nothing.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions:

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Villa took a mid-season trip to the beach despite having achieved exactly nothing already, actively throwing away a chance to pick up three of the four points needed to secure Champions League qualification.

Unai Emery made seven changes, five by choice, after last Thursday’s Europa League loss at Nottingham Forest and his team reflected his lack of respect for the fixture.

This was not a dead rubber. This was not unimportant. This was a miscalculation that could easily kill the season.

Let’s be absolutely clear about this: Villa decided they didn’t have to take seriously a match they needed to win, tossed it off, and paid the price. They’re not done paying yet either.

This was embarrassing; a shambles from the first minute to the last. It was Villa’s worst performance for years and it’s made all the worse by the rather obvious fact that they didn’t have much appetite to fix it.

Feeling good for Thursday, lads? Nice and rested and ready to go?

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 5

Messed up his first pass out, resulting in a Spurs corner, but soon settled. Made important saves to keep out João Palhinha and Randal Kolo Muani at 1-0.

Matty Cash - 3

Willing to scrap but Mathys Tel caused him problems from the word go. It probably wasn’t all his fault but turning inside to pass to his centre-back was unhelpful. Passing forward was speculative and it showed. Decent assist for the most pointless goal of the season.

Victor Lindelöf - 3

Like Cash, it’s difficult to know how much of the blame Lindelöf has to wear for his individual performance but there’s no argument that can be made that he stood out in an atrocious display.

Tyrone Mings - 3

Tidy defending on the cover early on and was busier than most centre-backs have been against Spurs this year. Far too slow with the ball and passes going out of play didn’t help.

Ian Maatsen - 3

Did some good defending from the front early on to avoid Villa putting themselves in trouble but was invisible as the team collapsed after conceding. Far too easy to beat at left-back – sometimes embarrassingly so. Finally dug out a decent cross inside the last 20 minutes.

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Lamare Bogarde - 2

Struggled to get close to Spurs midfielders in time to affect them. Over-awed and under-prepared. Poor ball control.

Youri Tielemans - 2

Rescued his goalkeeper in the second minute and then disappeared until he popped up to take a corner on the hour.

Ross Barkley - 3

Joined Tammy Abraham in Villa’s 4-4-2 out of possession. Made a couple of nice flicks in midfield to try and connect the play but couldn’t get into the game. Yellow carded for a foul on Conor Gallagher.

Jadon Sancho - 2

Didn’t look sharp at all on the right and was little more than a body in support of Cash. Dreadful in the final third. Not much better in the other two.

Morgan Rogers - 3

Started poorly, giving away possession and miscontrolling the ball. Got away with a few touches in the first half that should have resulted in Spurs possession. Over-did it when he finally got a chance to shoot and waited until he got tackled. Started to liven up in the second half but still had nothing but an awful final ball to show for it.

Tammy Abraham - 3

Barely got a kick and the quality wasn’t there when he did. Started the second half by winning a corner all on his own, from which Villa managed to manufacture an immediate offside. Took a knock and was the first player substituted.

Substitutes

Ollie Watkins (for Abraham, 60) - No pressure, Ollie. No impact either. 3

Emi Buendía (for Barkley, 85) - Late substitute. N/A

Leon Bailey (for Sancho, 85) - Late substitute. N/A

Aston Villa are in a funny position. They’re pretty comfortably in fifth in the Premier League and they’d take that at the end of the season, yet their recent performances haven’t offered much reason to be confident they can collect the small number of points they need to stay there.

In the Europa League, they’ve got home advantage in the second leg but are behind on aggregate after the first. Everything feels like it’s on a knife edge and the next five days could decide a lot.

It’s easy to lose sight of just how close Villa are to locking in a Champions League place for next season. It might take one more win, just one more, to secure a place in the top five.

After Saturday’s results, there’s even a chance of today being the day. By the time Villa kick off against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park this evening, they’ll know the result of AFC Bournemouth’s game against Crystal Palace.

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Aston Villa have it all to do in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Losing 1-0 at the City Ground on Thursday wasn’t the worst possible outcome but it was significantly worse than it might have been if Villa hadn’t done something incredibly stupid.

Forest have been in terrific form and played relatively well on the night but the fact is they needed a penalty to take the advantage and Villa gave it to them. The third possible result, a Villa win, never looked possible for a second. Now they need to win by two next week.

Losing Amadou Onana to another injury was a sour twist and Ollie Watkins could easily have joined him on the sidelines.

A first-half tackle on the Villa striker by Elliot Anderson should, I think, have resulted in a red card. The bigger injustice as far as I’m concerned was the extent to which the referee allowed Watkins and Villa in general to be wrestled off the ball while giving a load of soft free kicks the other way.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions:

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Villa started well but suffered when Forest turned this Europa League first leg into a Premier League match. Emiliano Martínez made an unbelievable save in the first half but a handball from Lucas Digne in the second literally handed the semi-final advantage to Forest.

Villa had a few moments but the final ball was consistently poor and they weren’t helped by a bizarre refereeing performance that allowed Ollie Watkins to be wrestled out of the game far too often.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 8

Composed with the ball at his feet and confident in his handling. Incredible, baffling save after half an hour to deny Igor Jesus a certain goal. No chance of stopping Chris Wood’s penalty.

Matty Cash - 6

Typically industrious performance on the right including a really good piece of tracking on the half-hour.

Ezri Konsa - 7

Made a vital block in the third minute and did well to protect the ball in an attacking area a few minutes later. Shut down Jesus in the middle of the second half with a chance appearing in front of him. Played a big part in one of Villa’s promising attacks with a pass in the channel for Cash.

Pau Torres - 6

Stepped in to pinch the ball from Igor Jesus with Forest building in the Villa defensive third early on. Read the game well and it was just as well with Lucas Digne up against a big threat on the outside.

Lucas Digne - 4

Villa’s preferred out-ball for much of the first half. Battled away to try and keep Omari Hutchinson at bay, supported by Emi Buendía. Gave away a penalty for a crazy handball after dithering under pressure from Hutchinson and cost Villa the first leg with two mistakes in one. Substituted inside the last quarter of an hour.

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Youri Tielemans - 5

Consistently good at progressing the ball and provided some essential defensive cover in transition. Occasionally on his heels enough to have the ball won off him from behind. Curled Villa’s first shot on target, saved by Stefan Ortega.

Booked in the second half for clobbering Elliot Anderson.

Amadou Onana - 6

Flew into tackles on his return from a short injury absence, occasionally with an unnecessary element of risk. Headed clear under pressure early in the second half but landed awkwardly and had to be withdrawn.

Villa didn’t miss him because of a direct impact but because of a presence, and it was there tonight.

John McGinn - 5

Loads of hustle and bustle in the early minutes in what was an unusually quiet display other than a few bursts. Neat passing in the Forest half to open out the play at times but was substituted late.

Emi Buendía - 6

Worked hard out of possession and helped to connect Villa’s attacking play but also took a few high-stakes risks with the ball in the Forest half – doesn’t always look good but it only takes one of them to pay off. Showed good in tight spots on a few occasions.

Made an important header to take the ball off Chris Wood’s head in the middle of the first half, immediately before holding the ball up on his own at the other end. Substituted with 12 minutes left.

Morgan Rogers - 5

Forced Ortega into a save after overlapping Ollie Watkins into the channel in the first half. Not spectacular by any stretch but generally looked Villa’s likeliest source of a proper opening.

Ollie Watkins - 6

A vital contributor with his back to goal. Recovered the ball in the Forest half with 27 minutes gone and created a chance for Rogers. Frequently managed to put himself in space all along the front line and was usually available for a pass if his teammates further back could get their heads up. Hit a snapshot straight at Ortega, who got a good hand out.

Got absolutely nothing from the officials.

Substitutes

Lamare Bogarde (for Onana, 54) - On for injured Onana. Settled nicely enough after a shaky start but didn’t have the quality in the attacking half. 4

Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Douglas Luiz (for McGinn, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Jadon Sancho (for Buendía, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Villa erred in the Premier League on Saturday but remain in a positive position in terms of snagging a Champions League place and a return to Europe’s top table that looked extremely unlikely at the end of August.

In the Europa League, it’s crunch time. Villa have developed a knack of winning matches in the competition under Unai Emery, who has now overseen nine consecutive wins since a league phase defeat against Go Ahead Eagles in October.

Two matches remain. Villa would love a third but it doesn’t exist until they earn it. Their entire Europa League world now amounts to an away game and a home game against Nottingham Forest, who are finding form domestically as well as in Europe.

Look beyond this tie in any way and Villa are done; Forest will beat them over two legs if they’re not at the top of their game this week and next. It’s that simple.

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Aston Villa won’t be defined by this 1-0 loss in London. There have been easier games lost and tougher games won, and even in hindsight we won’t be looking back at this as a single game that decided the outcome of the season.

Nevertheless, its proximity to both the end of the Premier League campaign and the first leg of the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest means that a lacklustre performance was most unwelcome and very poorly timed.

Manager Unai Emery wore his frustration on his sleeve throughout the match. While he wasn’t wrong to acknowledge that there was lots about the game that demonstrated Villa might have won it, ‘might’ and the end of April do not mix in football.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions:

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Villa need two Premier League wins to guarantee Champions League football next season and missed their first chance to halve that number by losing at Fulham on Saturday.

Ryan Sessegnon scored the only goal of a game in which Villa had most of the ball but mustered one shot on target from ten attempts, turning an expected goals (xG) value of 0.93 into an xG on target (xGOT) of 0.07.

In other words, they couldn’t finish their dinner. With big games to come, that has the potential to be a real problem even if I’m inclined to write it off as a tame day at the office for now.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 6

Well positioned to save from Raúl Jiménez, albeit the striker would have been ruled offside. Made a save immediately before the goal so was out of commission when Sessegnon finished the chance.

Matty Cash - 4

Limited impact in attack despite consistently making angles high on the right, but did some useful one-on-one defending until Oscar Bobb had him on toast. Drawn into midfield when Fulham broke for their goal, then ran past Sessegnon in an effort to get back, leaving the rebound unchallenged.

Decent with the ball but needed his goalkeeper to bail him out after a poor pass in the second half.

Ezri Konsa - 5

Made some important blocks with Fulham looking dangerous in their left channel with the score at 0-0.

Pau Torres - 4

Read the first real threat well to tidy up close to his own goal but allowed a shot on target with a risky pass into midfield that was picked off. Longer passing not up to his usual standards and struggled to keep tabs on Fulham’s sharp attackers at times.

Lucas Digne - 4

Misread a challenge with Harry Wilson early in the second half. Unable to connect with his crosses on an afternoon of generally poor output from the team.

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Lamare Bogarde - 3

Drafted in to deputise for injured midfielder Amadou Onana and the drop in match impact was clear to see. Comfortable enough when afforded time and space but lacked composure under pressure. Outmuscled in a midfield battle dominated by Fulham. Substituted as part of Unai Emery’s quadruple substitution.

Youri Tielemans - 5

Good quality on the ball but unable to prevent Fulham from controlling the midfield in Onana’s absence. Part of the quadruple substitution.

John McGinn - 4

Barely got a kick in the first half but managed to win a few free kicks. Picked Morgan Rogers out with a great pass late in the first half but delivery into the box wasn’t quite at it. One of four changes made with quarter of an hour to go.

Morgan Rogers - 5

Made a very sloppy start in possession but pressed smartly in the early part of the game. Cut in well after half an hour but couldn’t hit the target. Plugged away but never seemed to get into his stride.

Emi Buendía - 4

Did his usual ratting without the ball and linked nicely with one-touch passing in the thick of midfield. Fired Villa’s first shot well wide. Final pass on the break was short of quality and he took some silly risks with the ball in the middle. Substituted with 16 minutes left.

Ollie Watkins - 5

Shot on target after ten minutes but it was an easy read for Bernd Leno. Provided lots of really good hold-up play and created a shot for himself late in the first half that nearly hit the target.

Substitutes

Douglas Luiz (for Bogarde, 74) - Tidy in midfield. Scruffy in the final third. 4

Ross Barkley (for McGinn, 74) - Got on the ball in the Fulham half and looked to provide some quality in possession. 4

Jadon Sancho (for Tielemans, 74) - A couple of bright touches in attacking areas but unable to make the breakthrough. 4

Leon Bailey (for Buendía, 74) - Arguably his best little cameo since he returned from Italy but that’s not saying much. 4

Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 81) - Late substitute. N/A

Aston Villa have five Premier League matches left and the clearest of objectives. Brighton & Hove Albion are sixth and can reach 62 points. Brentford are ninth and can hit a maximum of 63.

Take goal difference as the equivalent of a point and the upshot is this: Villa are two wins away from securing a return to Champions League football next season with Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Burnley, Liverpool and Manchester City to play.

These are huge games not only for Villa but for the present and future of the Unai Emery project. All of this, everything that’s happened at this club in the last four years, it has to mean something.

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Villa supporters were familiar with the experience by 2009 but seeing a player who joined the club as a youth agitate so openly for a transfer was no easier to stomach because we’d tasted it before.

Lots of supporters have seen a favourite player move on in a manner unbefitting their status and their contribution to the club. Barry was one of those.

Gareth Southgate’s reasoning on his exit for Middlesbrough was badly received. Dwight Yorke and Mark Bosnich both went to Manchester United, which was offensive enough in its own right at the time.

Jack Grealish divided opinion when he left Villa. I made a bit of a pantomime of my disgust but it was all for show and its truthful roots were more to do with Manchester City than Grealish, whom I love dearly.

Morgan Rogers will leave Villa

What links the likes of Yorke, Bosnich, Barry, even Fabian Delph to a degree, is that Villa didn’t have to sell them. Villa might have wanted to sell them, it might even have been sensible to sell them, but they didn’t have to sell them.

That’s where times have changed.

The summer transfer window opens on 15th June. Two days later, Morgan Rogers is likely to be in the starting line-up for England against Croatia at the World Cup.

Rogers has been a brilliant signing for Villa. He came in from the Championship and took to the Premier League and then the Champions League like a duck to water. International recognition was inevitable and both Rogers and Villa manager Unai Emery can take credit for it.

He’s an easy player to like. He’s great to watch. He works hard. There have been some dips in form this season and last, no doubt, but Rogers is one of those players who can do things nobody else at his club can.

The 23-year-old seems to have developed a genuine affinity for Villa, yet I’m not entertaining the idea that the club will retain his services into next season even if they do qualify for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons.

Rogers will make his preference known one way or the other. There’s no massive step up from Villa nowadays – if a player wants to win trophies and play at the top level there are few guarantees and he might as well stay put – but money, prestige and perception still matter.

The club won’t stand in Rogers’ way

Villa supporters scoffed earlier this season at the idea of a food chain in football, not because there isn’t one but because it came from Very Online fans of Tottenham Hotspur.

The things that motivate the top players don’t always funnel them towards some definition of ‘up’ but they do funnel them… somewhere?

Leaving the specific details of Rogers’ potential transfer fee and his actual value to one side, the difference between 1998 or 2009 and 2026 is the financial environment in which Villa have to operate.

In the last few days alone they’ve announced an updated plan for the redevelopment of the North Stand, been in the news regarding the sale of the Warehouse and nudged themselves closer to qualifying for the Champions League and snagging that delicious revenue boost.

This is football now. Money’s always been part of the game but it has such a direct impact on the day-to-day now that it’s basically impossible to fully grasp why decisions are made without some understanding of the financial workings that underpin them.

That’s one of my biggest complaints about football. I still live and breathe the sport. It literally pays my bills and I’m not one of those gnarly old hacks who seem to hate every match they have to sit through because of it.

I love football but the calcifying linkage between spreadsheets and the pitch bores me to tears.

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In that context, a serious transfer bid for Rogers might be welcomed or even craved when in years gone by the club would have wanted to tell City or Chelsea or whoever to take a long walk off a short pier.

Today, Villa are up against the buffers of Premier League and UEFA financial regulations that mean flogging their most sellable player could easily appear at the top of Roberto Olabe’s to-do list in the summer.

The long-term impact of a big transfer fee for Rogers is important

Selling players because they force the issue or because a bid comes in that can’t be refused makes sense to me. I’ll never think especially fondly of Barry or Yorke but there was logic to their sales even if I didn’t agree with or enjoy them at the time.

Selling players proactively who are vital on the pitch and at the peak of their value is logical too. Clubs around the world have built and maintained their entire models on it.

Yet Villa weren’t a selling club when Southgate and Barry and Yorke and Bosnich left. The very phrase suggests a level of intent and process that didn’t exist.

Every club at the top level is now a selling club, and a buying club, and a club generally engaged in this rancid and tedious satellite industry whose outsized influence on the game is bleeding it of romance.

Rogers is the sort of player whose departure would have been devastating thirty years ago but here’s the truth: Villa need to succeed in the world of player trading, arguably more than any comparable club because of their low revenue and desire to stay at their level, and any transfer fee they’d accept for Rogers would amount to course-correcting money.

In many ways, not being able to sell high this summer is a bigger risk than losing Rogers even to a direct competitor. Ah, the beautiful game.

The cold hard facts necessarily take the edge off the emotional side of such matters and that’s a shame. Football’s much better when supporters are able to care.

When Rogers saunters off into the sunset this summer – it is a case of ‘when’, in my view – it’ll be sad. I’ll be sad. But absolutely everything about it will add up.

I won’t despise Rogers like Yorke. I won’t be furious about it like Barry. I won’t be disappointed like Southgate. I won’t find it difficult to watch him play for England like Grealish.

I’ll just be numb. That in itself is a tragic indictment of the financial framework of top-level football. It’s not supposed to be like this.

Aston Villa did their bit the hard way too. They were 3-1 up with just a few minutes left in their Premier League fixture at home against Sunderland on Sunday but a couple of ridiculous goals in a matter of seconds made it 3-3.

It could have been even worse. Instead, two substitutes made it all better. A cross from Lucas Digne found Tammy Abraham and the striker’s deft finish turned one point back into three.

The last ten minutes and stoppage time were an experience I could have done without. The same might not quite be true of Unai Emery and Villa.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions:

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Aston Villa looked comfortable. The teams exchanged early goals and there wasn’t much between them until Villa made it 2-1 late in the first half. They scored again just sixty seconds after the break but Sunderland’s late double almost ruined their day.

Ezri Konsa and substitute Jadon Sancho got mixed up to let the Black Cats back into the game and Villa were sucker-punched before Tammy Abraham won it in stoppage time.

There were some weird throw-in decisions from both assistant referees and no consistency on fouls from the man in the middle either, but Villa would have spent the next few days kicking themselves. Instead, relief abounds.

Here are the ratings:

Emiliano Martínez - 7

Well beaten by Sunderland’s equaliser but otherwise enjoyed a comfortable enough afternoon until the late collapse. Made one strong save at 3-1 but slipped for Sunderland’s third. More than made up for it with a great stop at 3-3.

Matty Cash - 7

Perfect clipped pass for John McGinn to set up the opening goal for Ollie Watkins. Got forward well and linked nicely with the captain. Positive one-on-one defending and was able to play within himself in the second half.

Ezri Konsa - 6

Tidy in possession and read the play well at the back. Put his longer passing on display to find Ian Maatsen wide on the left. Didn’t have a great deal to do from a defensive point of view but did everything well until the miscommunication with Jadon Sancho that changed the game.

Tyrone Mings - 7

Settled in nicely with a couple of early headers and picked Maatsen out with a clever long pass in the middle of the first half. Largely smooth defensively and Brian Brobbey never had a kick. Shot on target from close range late in the game.

Ian Maatsen - 6

Struggled with Chris Rigg on a couple of occasions early on and didn’t do nearly enough to stop Habib Diarra in the build-up to Rigg’s goal, but grew into the task. Delivery in the final third was short of quality until he put the ball on Watkins’ head for Villa’s second. Replaced by Lucas Digne with 20 minutes left.

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Amadou Onana - 6

Arguably slightly on his heels for Sunderland’s equaliser but made a huge block to prevent Noah Sadiki getting another one, albeit one that would have been ruled out. Headed against the crossbar from a McGinn corner and should really have scored.

Moved the ball well in the middle and got about the pitch but wasn’t quite at his recent levels.

Ross Barkley - 7

Formed a front two with Watkins out of possession. Keen to drive on through midfield with the ball and offered some quality in possession at times when Villa needed to keep it. Heavily involved in Villa’s third. Able to nick the ball in some key moments in the Villa half.

Substituted with 20 minutes remaining.

John McGinn - 8

Sensational run in behind and lobbed cross to the back post for the early opener. Superb feet to win a free kick after quarter of an hour and used the ball productively throughout. Brilliant play to help set up the third goal and was a constant threat in attacking areas. Went off with ten minutes left.

Youri Tielemans - 7

Some big contributions tracking back and facing his own goal and started to get on the ball regularly in the middle of the first half. Good anticipation and drive in the second period.

Morgan Rogers - 8

Starting position on the left as a result of Barkley’s role. Not involved at all in the first 35 minutes but as soon as he started to get on the ball he caused big problems. Helped to make Watkins’ second goal and tucked Villa’s third in 60 seconds into the second half, during which he looked at his very best at times.

Ollie Watkins - 9

Incredible. Headed home in the second minute to put Villa in front and late in the first half to make it 2-1. Worked hard to regain possession on the counter-press when it was a possibility, just one part of some excellent centre-forward play that also included a sensational assist for Rogers. Substituted with ten to go.

Substitutes

Emi Buendía (for Barkley, 70) - Good graft and sharp feet. Tested Robin Roefs with a dipping volley from 20 yards. 6

Lucas Digne (for Maatsen, 70) -Slotted back into the side with no issues and little direct impact, then curved in a glorious cross for Tammy Abraham’s winner in stoppage time. 7

Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Jadon Sancho (for McGinn, 79) - Late substitute. N/A