Aston Villa has kept their hopes for a top five of the Premier League firmly alive after a goal of Youri Tielemans turned out to be the difference against Fulham at Villa Park.
Tielemans started from a John McGinn corner over 12 minutes to make sure that the team of Unai Emery was moving on points with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest in the table.
It was three vital points for the Emery team, who seeks to return to the Champions League after their race for the last eight this season, but the hosts missed several good chances of putting the contest in bed on what was a nervous afternoon for fans of the house.
The defeat of Fulham, on the other hand, may well take their dreams of European football next term. Marco Silva’s team is currently in eighth, but the result means that they are now eight points drifting from seventh.
Three secure points. New to fight for. 👊 pic.twitter.com/ays4bwknln
– Aston Villa (@AvfCofficial) May 3, 2025
Villa takes a good start in a crucial game
Villa has ahead of the opening exchanges, apparently the intention of putting their disappointing Wembley in 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in the semi-finals of the FA Cup firmly behind them.
And at 12 minutes, the hosts were ahead when, from the inviting corner of McGinn, the header of Tielemans could only be pushed into the roof of the net by Bernd Leno, stimulating the jubilation of the supporters of the house.
The Belgian midfielder got closer again shortly before half-time with a distance effort, but on this occasion, Leno was on site to tip the ball behind.
The hosts waste the chances while visitors develop in the game
Immediately after restarting, the hosts missed the first of several good opportunities to double their lead.
Ezri Konsa found Matty Cash and the great-back delivered a large ball for an Ollie Watkins not marked inside the box. But the man in England obtained nothing on the cross and a glorious chance was wasted.
Aston Villa is in the head early!
Youri Tielemans marks with a powerful head in the 12th minute, following a quality corner of John McGinn 💥
📺 @Tntsports & @discoveryplusuk pic.twitter.com/b0cyqr22bz
– Football on TNT SPORTS (@footballontnt) May 3, 2025
Five minutes later, Fulham had the ball at the back of the villa net with the kind authorization of Ryan Sessegnon, but the goal was excluded for handball.
Visitors, who only follow Liverpool and Manchester City for most points won by losing positions in the League this quarter, developed in the competition.
Harry Wilson wasted a few promising opportunities before Watkins had another good chance to double the villa’s advance, but Leno was equal.
A narrow -indegny finish
With less than a quarter of an hour, the money has blocked to deny what seemed to be a certain equalizer of Joachim Andersen.
At the other end, Donyell Malen was the next guilty of a missed chance while Leno saved again.
Fulham was forced to finish the match with ten men when Harrison Reed drink after Silva already made five substitutions.
He seemed to encapsulate visitors in the afternoon, because their hopes of winning a European place took an important breach in their trips.
For Villa, however, the dream of a second successive season in the Champions League seems very well behind.
