Could 2026 finally be Aston Villa’s year? A run of nine consecutive wins across all competitions has pushed Unai Emery’s side firmly into the title conversation, leaving them just two victories short of a club record set way back in 1897. This surge has transformed Villa’s season after an alarming opening in which they failed to win any of their first five Premier League games and went longer than any other team in the Football League without scoring.
Three matches that could decide everything
Villa now enter a decisive period, hosting Manchester United on Sunday before trips to Chelsea and leaders Arsenal to close out the year. Those fixtures may define whether they emerge as genuine title contenders or influential kingmakers in the race at the top.
From drought to dream scenario
The Midlands club have not lifted a major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996, but their current position — third in both the Premier League and Europa League — suggests that long wait could soon end. Their rise has been built quietly rather than through bold declarations, with Emery resisting calls to publicly frame Villa as title challengers.
Numbers that speak loudly
Statistics, however, underline the shift. Villa’s only league defeat since August came against Liverpool in October, and they have since won six straight Premier League matches. Last weekend’s dramatic 3-2 comeback against West Ham captured both their resilience and growing belief.
“We are not feeling under pressure, we are feeling ambitious,” Emery said after that victory. “We try to challenge in Europe and in the Premier League. Enjoy each match, prepare, then rest. The players must feel comfortable.” He added that the focus remains immediate, with Manchester United the next hurdle.
Lessons from a troubled start
This momentum contrasts sharply with a difficult early season. Villa went winless in their opening six games in all competitions, including a Carabao Cup defeat to Brentford, and did not score a league goal until a 1-1 draw at Sunderland on 21 September. The squad held an internal meeting to confront the slump, acknowledging a possible hangover from missing out on Champions League qualification.
Continuity under Emery
Rather than sweeping changes, Emery has overseen steady evolution. Seven players who featured in his first match in charge — a 3-1 win over Manchester United in November 2022 when Villa were 14th — remain central figures. Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins started that day, while John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara came off the bench. Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne were also involved.
Raising expectations
That core carried Villa to the brink of Champions League football last season, finishing sixth and missing out on the top five on goal difference after a controversial final-day defeat to Manchester United. Since the Sunderland draw, Villa have won 15 of their last 17 matches, including a 1-0 victory over Manchester City and a dramatic 2-1 win against Arsenal earlier this month.
Emery believes higher demands could unlock even more. “Last year was an experience for us,” he said. “Sometimes we were performing well, but maybe if we were more demanding, we could get something more.” Now in his third year, he insists the ambition has increased, with the immediate objective clear — beating Manchester United.
A long wait for silverware
Villa’s last trophy win feels distant in every sense. When they beat Leeds 3-0 in the 1996 League Cup final, Prodigy’s Firestarter topped the charts, Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave had just won an Oscar, and David Beckham was yet to make his England debut. Several current players, including Cash, Youri Tielemans, Kamara and Buendia, had not even been born.
Since then, Villa have lost two FA Cup finals and another League Cup final. Emery, a serial Europa League winner with Sevilla and Villarreal, made it clear on his first day that winning a trophy was the ultimate aim. Last season’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Crystal Palace still hurts.
Close but not close enough
Recent near-misses underline progress. A Europa Conference League semi-final defeat to Olympiakos 18 months ago and a dramatic Champions League quarter-final exit to Paris Saint-Germain in April showed how close Villa have come.
Captain John McGinn believes those setbacks are now driving the squad. He said big games bring extra determination, with a desire to prove the team built over the past five or six years is capable of more than quarter-finals and semi-finals. McGinn admitted the pressure is felt most keenly by leaders but believes that when success finally arrives, the satisfaction will be just as powerful.
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