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Half-time: Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa
Spurs have shaded the half, but a sensational strike from Rogers means the two sides are all square at the break.
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45+3 min: After a wonderful take on the run from Porro, the Spurs right back appeals for a penalty after booting a ball towards his compatriot Torres. Replays show it hit the Villa centre back on the backside. Porro is a very good player, but he does have an irritable temperament.
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45 min: Five minutes added on.
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44 min: Spurs are pushing for a second. Villa seem content to hold onto the 1-1 score until half-time, at least.
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41 min: Tel misses a glorious chance for Tottenham! From a free-kick, Spurs work the ball out to Kudus on the right, who delivers an outrageous ball across the six-yard box with his weaker right foot. Van de Ven canâ€t quite strain to reach the cross, but Tel is there at the back post … he just has to volley a finish into the empty net … but completely miscues the connection!
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38 min: In these rainy conditions, it was a slip from Simons that allowed Rogers to create some space. But the England international expertly took his chance – I would not be surprised to see that on the Goal of the Month shortlist.
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GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa (Rogers 37)
As if baited by my previous post, Rogers lets fly from 25 yards, and finds the top corner! It was a scrappy passage of play, but Rogers found a pocket on the edge of Spurs†area and pings an unstoppable shot past Vicario, dipping over the Italian goalkeeper and just underneath the crossbar. Rogers†first goal in 20 games for Villa!
Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa scores his team’s first goal. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.49 EDT
34 min: We are over a third of the way through this match, and Villa are yet to trouble Vicario in the Spurs goal.
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32 min: Onana is OK, after some attention from the Villa physios.
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31 min: Onana is left crumpled on the turf after another robust tackle from Paulinha in midfield. This is the Belgianâ€s first Villa starts since August. He wonâ€t want another spell on the sidelines.
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29 min: I have mentioned Spurs†physicality and Malen is really struggling to make his mark against the Tottenham centre-back duo of Danso and Van de Ven. Ollie Watkins, huddled under a puffer jacket on the Villa bench, will be eager to get some minutes later.
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27 min: A raking diagonal pass from Bencancur finds Odobert in plenty of space on the left, and the winger drives inside on his right foot, lashing a bouncing awkward shot at goal, which Villaâ€s MartÃnez gathers at the second attempt. That was strong, direct play from the home side.
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25 min: Villa are normally a good pressing side, but look very pedestrian in defence today. Spurs are able to advance with the ball up the pitch quite easily, as Porro wins another corner for the home side. The delivery from Kudus is deep towards Odobert at the back post, and even though the Frenchman beats Rogers to the ball, he is unable to control it.
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23 min: Odobert goes down in a heap on the edge of Villaâ€s box, claiming a foul. There is contact from Onana, but nowhere near enough to send somebody tumbling over, and the referee waves play on. Good decision.
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21 min: Yellow card for Van de Ven, who catches Rogers in midfield shortly after being nutmegged. No complaints.
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18 min: Villa are playing a very high line, which is a dangerous thing against the pace of Odobert, Tel and Kudus. Tel is constantly threatening to get in behind, but hasnâ€t quiet timed his run correctly. Yet.
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15 min: Tottenham give the ball away cheaply just outside their own box, and Cash finds a pocket of space, shooting just wide from 20 yards out. That should be a bit of a wake-up call for Spurs.
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14 min: Perhaps this is not a surprising development, given Thomas Frank is the manager, but Iâ€m impressed by how physical Spurs are. The arrival of Paulinha has massively bolstered Tottenhamâ€s midfield, which also includes Bentancur, Sarr and Bergvall. They are all big lads, can run for days.
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12 min: Villa begin to edge into the game with some possession, and force a couple of corners, well defended by Spurs. McGinnâ€s delivery for the latter was particularly poor.
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FOUL THROW ALERT!
10 min: I repeat, FOUL THROW ALERT! Cash creeps up the touchline a little too much for the refereeâ€s liking and Simon Hooper overturns the throw-in from Villa to Spurs! Lots of cheers go up with the home crowd. A rare treat, that.
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GOAL DISALLOWED! Spurs denied a second!
7 min: Van de Ven pumps a ball long from the back, Tel and Kudus combine with the latter firing a shot through the hands of MartÃnez and into the net! The Villa keeper has his blushes spared by the offside flag, with both Tel and Kudus correctly ruled offside from Van de Venâ€s initial ball.
Mohammed Kudus of Tottenham Hotspur scores but it is later disallowed. Photograph: Alex Morton/Tottenham Hotspur FC/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 09.23 EDT
GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Aston Villa (Bencancur 5)
Villa clear the initial corner, but Spurs recycle the ball and Kudus, from the left, swings a brilliant ball to Paulinha a the back post. The Portuguese nods the ball back across goal and Bencancur is there to sweep in an easy finish from the penalty spot!
Rodrigo Bentacur of Tottenham Hotspur scores the opening goal. Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.08 EDT
4 min: Sloppy play from Onana allows Tel to win the ball back inside Villaâ€s penalty box, and the Frenchman wins a corner for Spurs.
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3 min: A brief delay, with the earpiece of referee Simon Hooper coming loose.
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2 min: Sky Sports had suggested that Guessand would be playing as part of a front-two with Malen, but the Ivory Coast international is looks like he is playing on the right, with Malen as a lone striker, supported by Rogers in the No 10 role.
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Peeeeeeeeep!
Weâ€re underway in London!
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The teams are out! Itâ€s raining on north London, so weâ€ll have a slick surface.
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Some breaking news, before Manchester Unitedâ€s trip to Anfield later.
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Villa manager Unai Emery is asked by a Sky Sports reporter if the decision to leave Ollie Watkins on the bench was a tactical one or a fitness one.
I wonâ€t respond to the question, itâ€s something private. But Watkins is getting better.
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Cristian Romero injured in the warm up!
A big blow for Spurs, with their captain Cristian Romero injured in the warm-up. Kevin Danso will replace the Argentinian, and Micky van de Ven will take the armband.
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Thomas Frank, Tottenham manager, is speaking to the cameras:
On Destiny Udogie being left out the squad today:
He came back from international duty with minor irritation in the knee.
Randal Kolo Muani making the bench:
Heâ€s nowhere near ready to start. Iâ€d like him to be ready of course.
On Mo Kudus:
Heâ€s been exceptional since the first day of the season. Heâ€s such a threat, one versus one. His work rate is very good. You need to get goals, and Iâ€m so happy he got one.
On the stat that Frank has never beaten Unai Emery:
Itâ€s about time to change it. Hopefully we do it today. Unai I respect massively. He has worked wonders with Villa. Itâ€s going to be a super tight game. It will be a small goal that decides the game. I hope we can get that moment.
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We wrote extensively on the police ban this week.
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Aston Villa stadium must not be a no-go area for Jews, says Ed Miliband
Some breaking news, as the UKâ€s energy secretary has called for the lifting of a police ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters at the upcoming Europa League fixture.
Birminghamâ€s safety advisory group is meeting next week and is expected to produce proposals about the extra resources West Midlands police would need to allow the match to go ahead safely with away fans.
The force last week barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from the match because of concerns that officers would not be able to police it safely. They cited “violent clashes and hate crime offences†at a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam in 2024.
Asked on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News whether Villa Park was a no-go area for Jews, Miliband replied: “No, and it canâ€t be, and Iâ€m very, very clear about that.
“We cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country, and weâ€ve got to stamp out all forms of prejudice, antisemitism, Islamophobia, wherever we find them.â€
Asked about a petition calling for a boycott of Israeli teams in the UK, Miliband said: “I profoundly disagree with that approach, with what is being said in that petition.â€
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Letâ€s unpack those teams a little.
For Spurs, interesting that Odobert is the preferred option on the left wing. Tel gets the nods ahead of Richarlison, with Solanke still out with an injury. Randal Kolo Muani could make his Premier League debut following his loan move from PSG in the summer – the Frenchman has also been sidelined for the past six or seven weeks.
For Villa, Watkins is only fit enough for the bench, but Donyell Malen excelled against Burnley a couple of weeks ago, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win, and the Dutchman leads the line again today. Guessand also gets a start, but otherwise Villa are unchanged and as expected. A penny for the thoughts of Harvey Elliott, he canâ€t get a kick at the moment.
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Team news!
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence, Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Kudus, Simons, Odobert, Tel.
Subs: Kinsky, Danso, Richarlison, Gray, Bergvall, Johnson, Sarr, Muani, Byfield.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Kamara, Guessand, Rogers, McGinn, Malen.
Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Barkley, Elliott, Buendia, Watkins, Sancho, Maatsen, Bogarde.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
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Preamble
Welcome everyone to the match that absolutely nobody knows as the Alan Hutton Derby!
For all the talk of a poor home record, Tottenham have had a fine start to the season. Yes, he had a full pre-season to bed in his ideas, but Thomas Frank should be given a lot of praise for improving this Spurs team from the get-go. By the end of today, Tottenham could well be second in the table (even if they are still trailing Arsenal).
After a disappointing start to the season, in which Villa failed to win any of their opening six matches (in which they scored just twice), Unai Emeryâ€s side have now won their last four matches in all competitions, and looking much more like their old selves. Fluidity is still something of an issue and there are questions marks over the form and fitness of Ollie Watkins (although Emery did confirm he was fit to feature today), but the return of Tyrone Mings following a two-game absence is a bonus for the Birmingham side, who will be looking to avoid defeat here before the next two league matches against Manchester City (home) and Liverpool (away).
Here is where the teams start today in the Premier League table.
Kick-off: 2pm BST.
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Aston Villa told matchday stewards they would not have to work during the clubâ€s Europa League fixture against the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv, citing possible “concerns†over safety, it has been reported.
West Midlands police decided to ban Maccabi fans from the forthcoming match, after saying the force would not be able to police the fixture safely owing to “violent clashes and hate crime offences†at a previous match in Amsterdam in 2024.
The Home Office has offered extra support to West Midlands police in an effort to reverse its ban. A meeting with Birminghamâ€s safety advisory group (SAG) has been set up for next week.
The BBC reported that Villa had informed stewards they had permission to skip their duties on the day of the fixture, Thursday 6 November, before the decision to ban fans was made by police.
In an email apparently sent on 3 October, stewards were told that “regarding the upcoming fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv … we appreciate that some of you may have concerns about attending workâ€, the broadcaster reported.
Those who were meant to work on the day were told they would “be able to submit a one-off absence requestâ€, and this “will allow you to register your absence for this specific fixtureâ€.
Aston Villa had also made clear that “this type of absence will not affect your contractual minimum attendance of 80%â€.
This email was reportedly sent after a number of stewards allegedly raised concerns over safety on the day, and it is unclear how many stewards will not work on the day of the fixture. A request to not work would have to be submitted four days prior to the matchâ€s scheduled date.
West Midlands police had said on Thursday they had classified Villaâ€s home fixture against Maccabi as “high risk†based on intelligence. The police force also highlighted violence that occurred during a 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam, where more than 60 people were arrested over the violence that was called a “toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger†by authorities.
Four local people were given short jail terms for the violence against Maccabi fans. A report by Dutch police into the disorder during the 2024 Amsterdam match found Maccabi fans had torn a Palestinian flag down from a local building and burned it, shouted: “Fuck you, Palestineâ€, and vandalised a taxi. Maccabi fans were also taped chanting “Olé, olé. Let the IDF win, fuck the Arabs.â€
The ban imposed by West Midlands police came after pressure from the local independent MP, Ayoub Khan. Khan told BBC Twoâ€s Newsnight on Thursday: “We cannot conflate [this issue with] antisemitism when we look at what some of these fans did in Amsterdam in 2024 … Weâ€re talking about violent fans and I think the prime minister should stay out of operational matters.â€
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said on Friday it was notifying Birmingham city council and West Midlands police of its intention to bring a judicial review against the ban of Maccabi fans, which it said was “pernicious†and had “angered the whole countryâ€.
Keir Starmer called the police forceâ€s decision “wrongâ€, saying “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streetsâ€. Uefa, the governing body of European football, has urged local authorities in Birmingham to allow Maccabi fans to travel to the match.
In a statement on their website, Aston Villa said: “The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision.â€
Aston Villa have been approached for comment.
JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty
The government has said it is “doing everything in our power” to overturn a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a football match in Birmingham and is exploring what additional resources could be required.
On Thursday, Aston Villa said the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) decided that fans of the Israeli club should not be permitted to attend the Europa League fixture on 6 November over safety concerns.
Facing mounting pressure to resolve the situation, the government said it was working with police and exploring what additional resources are required.
A meeting of the SAG to discuss the match is expected next week, the Home Office said.
“No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are,” a government spokesperson said.
They added the government was working with police and other bodies to ensure the game could “safely go ahead with all fans present”.
After it was announced on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer called the move to block fans attending “wrong”, adding “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”. There has also been criticism from other party leaders.
The SAG, which advises the council on whether to issue safety certificates, will review the decision if West Midlands Police changes its risk assessment for the match, Birmingham City Council said.
On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences” between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024.
More than 60 people were arrested over the violence, which city officials described as a “toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger” over the war in Gaza, Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The Home Office was briefed that restrictions on visiting fans might be imposed last week, but the BBC understands officials were not informed about the final decision until Thursday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the revelation left the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, with “serious questions to answer” about why her department did “nothing” to avert the ban.
She said: “This is a weak government that fails to act when required.”
A source close to Mahmood told the BBC that “this is categorically untrue”.
“The first time the home secretary knew that the fans were being banned was last night,” they added.
Getty Images
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans gathered ahead of last year’s match with Ajax in Amsterdam
The decision has also been criticised by the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, as well as Israeli government officials.
But the Green Party backed the decision, saying it was “irresponsible” for Starmer to question a local authority’s safety decision.
Ayoub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr who campaigned on a pro-Gaza platform in last year’s general election, said the decision to ban fans was a “moral question” and not just about public safety.
Speaking on BBC’s Politics Midlands, Khan said the rules applied to “Russian football teams which have been banned from European competitions because of their atrocities in Ukraine” should also “apply with Israeli football teams”.
Khan, who has also raised concerns about safety and public order, said that even if additional resources were provided to West Midlands Police, the fans should not be allowed to attend, citing last year’s violence in Amsterdam.
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli citizen who was held hostage in Gaza and released in January, said she was “shocked to my core with this outrageous decision”.
Ms Damari, who described herself as a “die-hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv”, said: “Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.”
Several sporting events have seen protests over the war in Gaza, including in recent World Cup qualifiers.
Earlier this month, 22 people were arrested near the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo when Israel’s national team played Norway. Reports said tear gas was used after several demonstrators broke through police barriers.
A few days later, Israel’s national team played its next qualifier against Italy in the northern city of Udine, where around 5,000 protesters took part in a march ahead of the game. Clashes with police broke out, with a number of people arrested.
In Spain on Wednesday, a protest over Euroleague’s basketball game between Valencia and Hapoel Tel Aviv saw several people arrested.
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be allowed to attend the Europa League match at Aston Villa on 6 November owing to safety concerns.
West Midlands police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk†based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, Âincluding Âviolent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and ÂMaccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdamâ€.
The police said it believed the measure would “help mitigate risks to public safety†and that it remained “steadfast in our support of all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its formsâ€.
The move was condemned by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, who said: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.â€
The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said the decision was a “national disgrace†and urged Starmer to reverse it.
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Villa said the local safety advisory group had instructed the club that “no away fans will be permittedâ€.
“The club are in continuous Âdialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision,†Villa said.
There was significant unrest when Maccabi played Ajax on 7 ÂNovember. A report by Dutch police into the Âdisorder, which lasted two days, found that Maccabi fans had torn a Palestinian flag down from the facade of a local building and burned it, shouted “Fuck you, Palestine†and vandalised a taxi, among a series of incidents before the fixture. After the match, what were described by Amsterdamâ€s mayor as a series of “hit-and-run†assaults on Maccabi fans, led to five people being taken to hospital and a further 20 to 30 being slightly injured. Sixty-two people were arrested, mainly for Âpublic order offences.
The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saâ€ar, posted on X: “Shameful decision! I call on the UK Âauthorities to reverse this coward decision!†The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the match should be cancelled, writing on X: “Israeli football teams shouldnâ€t play in international tournaments whilst it commits genocide and apartheid.â€
The Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, said: “I welcome the Safety Advisory Groupâ€s decision. With so much hostility and Âuncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures.â€
Ajax were prevented last month from having fans at a Champions League match in Marseille after the French interior ministry banned “anyone claiming to be an Ajax Amsterdam supporter†from Âtravelling between the French border and the southern city. Ajax said they had been informed the decision had been taken “on grounds of public safety and securityâ€.
The same week, the prefecture of Naples prevented the selling of tickets to Eintracht Frankfurt fans hoping to travel to their Champions League match against Napoli.
Uefa said: “In all cases, the competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions related to the safety and security of matches taking place on their territory, such decisions being determined on the basis of thorough risk assessments, which vary from match to match and take into consideration previous circumstances.â€
When England line up against Latvia on Tuesday, Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers will expect to be in the starting line-up.
Rogers has been on a hugely impressive upwards tear. After four years at Manchester City, for whom he signed from West Bromwich Albion, the 23-year-old took a while to make his mark.
Man City loaned out the Halesowen-born attacking midfielder to Lincoln City, AFC Bournemouth and Blackpool between 2021 and 2023. Two years ago he was sold to Championship club Middlesbrough without playing a Premier League game.
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Rogers’ progress at Villa lifted expectations
Morgan Rogers on the ball for England (Image credit: Getty Images)
He hadn’t looked back until August, when question marks over his form – question marks whose origins emerged last season – became one of the dominant features of Villa’s dreadful start to 2025-26.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery (Image credit: Getty Images)
Rogers, who has represented England at every age level within the last decade, barely put a foot right before the September international break.
Adored though he is at Villa Park, a string of substandard displays resulted in heavy criticism. Even in the context of Villa’s awful form, Rogers’ shortcomings stood out.
By the time he was ironically cheered for completing a pass against Bologna in the Europa League and subsequently cheered through an improved display in the Premier League against Fulham, another narrative was taking hold.
Long before Rogers started to look a little like his old self in a Villa shirt, he’d won plaudits for his contributions for England in September. Some took it as a positive sign, others as a sort of twisted confirmation that he was committed to one more than the other.
Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers flying high last season (Image credit: Getty Images)
After scoring his first senior international goal against Wales on Thursday, it’s fair to say that Rogers’ best two performances of the new season have indeed been for England.
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Modest improvements match after match for Villa have begun to show glimpses of a terrific talent returning but Villa’s approach has been consistent amid the noise.
Manager Unai Emery has started Rogers as a matter of course despite frequent suggestions that he shouldn’t, showing faith in a player whose quality is beyond dispute and attempting to play him into form.
Behind the scenes, it’s understood that Villa are eager to sign the England international to a new deal despite his agreeing an extension within 11 months of joining the club and being committed until the summer of 2030.
Why Villa want to extend Rogers’ contract
Fundamentally, Villa’s admiration for Rogers is rooted in a belief that his recent form, though not without precedent in 2025, is a blip.
He has dominated Champions League matches and made an impact for England, and Villa’s football department aren’t prone to short-term thinking.
Rogers is still seen as one of Villa’s key players – in terms of a combination of on-field ability to financial potential, he is arguably the most important player at the club.
Those financial factors can’t just be shrugged off.
Rogers was linked with possible transfers to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window and the potential fees mentioned would have put Villa on their most stable regulatory footing for years.
He might very well be sold within a year. Villa’s transfer strategy necessarily includes otherwise unwanted player sales and Rogers is where the big bucks can be unlocked in a squad that has a lot of quality but also a ton of miles on the clock.
A new deal before the January transfer window would protect his transfer value from Villa’s perspective, putting the club in a position of strength whether they choose to keep him, sell him willingly or sell him reluctantly next summer.
A pay increase and a release clause could go a long way towards persuading the player to sign the paperwork.
Emi BuendÃa and John McGinn struck second-half goals as Aston Villa beat Feyenoord 2-0 in Rotterdam to make it back-to-back Europa League wins.
Villa, who beat Bologna 1-0 in their opening game last week, held their nerve at De Kuip after coming under heavy first-half pressure, with BuendÃa and then McGinn scoring for Unai Emeryâ€s side.
Back at the venue where they sealed the clubâ€s greatest triumph by beating Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup in 1982, Villa notched their third win in a week to put their dismal start to the season behind them.
Villa were forced into a late change before kick-off, with goalkeeper Emiliano MartÃnez withdrawn through a calf injury and replaced by the summer signing Marco Bizot.
Feyenoord, who beat both Bayern and Inter Milan in the Champions League at the intimidating De Kuip last season, created a string of first-half chances.
Bizot denied Anis Hadj-Moussa and Ayase Ueda, who also headed narrowly wide, before Leo Sauerâ€s shot from outside the box then tested the Villa keeper.
The visitors breathed a sigh of relief in the 35th minute – and the Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie was left furious – when Ueda headed the home side into the lead from a corner, but the goal was dubiously ruled out for an apparent foul on Matty Cash.
Emeryâ€s side weathered the storm and BuendÃa struck the opening goal in the 61st minute, curling home into the bottom corner after being teed up by Boubacar Kamara on the edge of the area.
Villa dictated the tempo thereafter and put the game to bed when McGinn steered home his third goal in as many matches, picking his spot when the ball broke to him in the area following substitute Donyell Malenâ€s storming run.
Bizot was on hand again with crucial saves to deny Ueda and Cyle Larin in the closing stages, preventing the Dutch from mounting a grandstand finish.
Rangers showed fighting spirit against Sturm Graz, but first-half defensive lapses resulted in a second Europa League defeat in eight days to keep under-fire manager Russell Martin on the back foot.
The Light Blues lost 1-0 to the Belgian side Genk in their opening league phase game at Ibrox last Thursday night and went down 2-1 at the Merkur Arena.
The Slovenia striker Tomi Horvat scored after just seven minutes and, after the Rangers forward Youssef Chermiti hit the woodwork, the Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili drove in a second in the 35th minute.
However, winger Djeidi Gassama made it 2-1 four minutes after the break with a terrific strike and offered hope for Rangers, but the comeback could not be completed and, after just five wins in 16 games, the pressure remains firmly on Martin.
Kelechi Iheanacho had a goal controversially disallowed in Celticâ€s defeat by Braga. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA
Kelechi Iheanacho was on the wrong end of a hugely controversial handball decision before Braga wrapped up a 2-0 Europa League win at Celtic.
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Iheanacho appeared to have brought the hosts level in the 51st minute after Kasper Schmeichel made a mess of dealing with Ricardo Hortaâ€s long-range strike in the first half. But the German referee, Tobias Stieler, disallowed the goal and the video assistant Christian Dingert stuck with the decision, despite no handball being evident on television replays.
Iheanacho capitalised on a loose pass from a free-kick to charge down a scrambled clearance from the former Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke before slotting home. The ball appeared to hit the strikerâ€s face but Dingert stuck with the decision after more than two minutes of studying the footage.
Kieran Tierney and Sebastian Tounekti were denied by good goalkeeping as Celtic chased an equaliser in an open second half. Brendan Rodgersâ€s side were left with one point from their opening two matches after Gabri MartÃnez netted on the rebound five minutes from time.
There were clear signs Schmeichel was having an off night as the goalkeeper conceded possession several times before being beaten from 35 yards in the 20th minute.
Horta was not closed down quickly enough by Paulo Bernardo and his shot swerved and dipped. But it was not particularly powerful or in the corner and Schmeichel appeared to be caught off guard before clawing the ball into the roof of the net.
Celtic were soon back under pressure and MartÃnez netted from close range after Schmeichel and Scales had blocked efforts.
The Lille goalkeeper, Berke Özer, saved three penalties, included two retaken, in the win against Roma. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP
The Lille keeper Berke Özer saved three consecutive penalties late on as they battled to a 1-0 victory at Roma in the Europa League thanks to Hákon Arnar Haraldssonâ€s early strike.
In the first competitive meeting between the sides, Arnar Haraldsson capitalised on an early Roma error to fire the visitors ahead after six minutes. Roma were handed a golden chance to equalise in the last few minutes after a handball from Aïssa Mandi, but Artem Dovbykâ€s penalty was saved by Özer.
Drama followed as the Lille keeper was adjudged to have moved off his line, only for Dovbykâ€s second attempt to be stopped as well, but with Özer again stepping forward too early. A third effort was then entrusted to MatÃas Soulé, yet incredibly, Özer denied him as well and this time the save stood, sealing Lilleâ€s win.
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65 minA double-change for Fulham, Smith-Rowe and Kevin replacing Iwobi and King.
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64 minBuendia has made a difference since coming on and he lashes a shot from the edge which flies over the bar.
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63 minFulham have barely participated in this half so far, and Villa look more likely to score a clincher than they do a livener.
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61 min“How can the Chelsea one be given a penalty a few weeks ago and the Fulham one today not given?†wonders Michael Brown. “If anything the Fulham one today, was even more of a penalty as the shot was going on target. The Chelsea one was a cross with no obvious goal-scoring opportunity. They change the rules every week. They are ruining the game.â€
IMG 9172 Photograph: Michael Brown
I domâ€t think the Cash one is a penalty – he slides in, his arm necessarily flies out, and heâ€s looking the other way. I do find that Iâ€ve no longer a clue what many decisions will be – how, for example, was Nathan Collins not sent off for Brentford yesterday – but on the other hand, I think we can demand consistency within games but not across games, as refs are given leeway to interpret as they see fit, and VAR should only get involved if thereâ€s an obvious error.
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60 minCastagne slides in on Digne, studs up, catches him a right sair yin on the ankle, and somehow avoids a booking.
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Updated at 10.25 EDT
57 min“He hardly ever scores, heâ€s 32 but his passing and crossing, at least since heâ€s been at Villa, has been without equal, says Tony Hughes of Lucas Digne. “Heâ€s seen off Matt Targett, who I believe was Villaâ€s POTY, then Emery brought in Alex Moreno, and Digne kept his spot. Then Villa spent a huge amount on Ian Maatsen yet Digne – who took a pay cut to remains at Villa – is still there. Heâ€s a survivor.â€
Itâ€s so rare to find natural width down the left; he brings balance to any team heâ€s in, and I bet Emery loves him.
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55 minBassey is booked for a foul. Fulham are falling apart here.
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53 minAndersen has had better games. He loses out to Watkins down the left then, when Watkins falls, there are penalty shouts, but I think he tripped himself. Meantime, Fulham counter, Martinez clears straight into Traore, Lukic slides towards the empty net … and Konsa does brilliantly to clear off the line running towards his own box. This is suddenly absolutely wild; more please!
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Updated at 10.21 EDT
GOAL! Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham (Buendia 52)
Two goals in two minutes and has Villaâ€s season started? They get at Fulham down the left, Buendia involved early in the move then hitting the box, as yet another ball in behind finds Watkins, who crosses low, and Buendia stabs into the net. What a chance from Unai Emery!
Emiliano Buendia of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s third goal. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.21 EDT
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Fulham (McGinn 50)
Another day, another jazzer of a captainâ€s goal! Traore, back to goal, is forced towards his own by remorseless pressing, then Bogarde pinches the ball off him and finds Buendia, who moves on one to McGinn. And the skipper takes a touch then, from the edge, cuts across a low left-footer that swerves out and into the near-post side-netting.
John McGinn of Aston Villa scores a goal to make it 2-1. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.20 EDT
48 minRogers carries forward and, of course, Watkins attacks the last line, but the pass has too much on it.
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47 minElliott just wasnâ€t able to get going; I wonder if he might do better with space in front of him, so i the pivot alongside McGinn, rather than in behind Watkins.
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46 minWe go again; Villa have Buendia ready to come on and he replaces Elliott.
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Updated at 10.11 EDT
Things that would not be missed: that thing that Sky do, when they have a break, then come back to tell you what youâ€re watching, before going to another break. I guess it spares us more Jamie Redknapp, so thereâ€s that.
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Half-time entertainment:
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HALF-TIME: Aston Villa 1-1 Fulham
Fulham started really well with King outstanding, but Villa equalised out of nothing and were the better team thereafter.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins watches as the ball goes into the net. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShare
Updated at 10.07 EDT
45+8 minDigne curls over the wall but without requisite power, Leno plunging right to make a comfortable save.
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45+7 minA poor touch from Berge is seized upon by Bogarde, who finds Rogers; a poor touch allows Leno to clear but Guessand quickly picks up possession, buys a foul off Lukic, and Villa have a free-kick 25 yards out, right of the D. Digne will take…
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45+6 minEventually, Lukic swings it out, Villa clear, and Sessegnonâ€s ball back in dribbles through to Martinez.
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45+5 minBerge bursts away from McGinn, who pulls him down and is booked; almost immediately, Fulham win a corner, Wilson and Lukic behind it.
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45+4 minWhy do sky now display time as 48.34, say, rather than 45+3.34?
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45+3 minIwobi coaxes a decent ball over the top and into the middle for the marauding Lukic, whose first touch is poor, taking him wide. But he recomposes, squaring for Wilson, who canâ€t quite dig the ball out from under his feet, poking a shot wide.
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45+1 minSilva, on a rolling boil now, is booked for mouth after complaining about a booking handed to Wilson for a foul.
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45 minWeâ€ll have eight additional minutes, most of them for the treatment Jimenez took prior to departing injured.
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44 minVilla like that ball over the top and McGinn clips a beauty seeking Rogers, running in behind, but he canâ€t quite take it down as it drops over his shoulder. Still, though, this is much better from the home side; Fulham could do with half-time.
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42 minMarco Silva will be seething – a phrase I might stick on my clipboard – at the penalties his side didnâ€t get. For what itâ€s worth, I donâ€t think either satisfied what should be a high bar for an 80% chance of a goal, though the handball in particular is one weâ€ve seen given.
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41 minVilla needed that goal badly – theyâ€ve been third-best in this game so far. Now they have it, though, the onus is on them to push the pace, and thatâ€s what theyâ€re trying to do, Fulham pinned back for the first time.
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39 minVAR wants to see if Watkins was offside … and he wasnâ€t!
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GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Fulham (Watkins 38)
RELEASE! Digne clips a good long pass over the top, Watkins running in behind and away from Bassey. But really, the ball shouldnâ€t get anywhere near him because Andersen os underneath it, somehow clearing fresh air so, as Leno comes out, Watkins loops a terrific finish over him, ending the drought! Villa are level!
Bonza: Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins celebrates scoring their first goal. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 09.46 EDT
36 minWe see a graphic telling us that Watkins has touched the ball twice in 35 minutes; the same as Jimenez, whoâ€s been off for half an hour. As Chris Sutton notes, his penalty in midweek was that of a man bereft of confidence, so he ought to have whacked it with his laces – likewise Bruno Fernandes yesterday, given how long he had to wait before taking it and how goods Caiomhin Kelleher is at saving them.
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35 minBut Villa pick up the loose ball, pump it into the box again, and when another clearance drops to the edge, Cash leathers way over the top.
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34 minRogers is starting to assert himself, holding off then running away from Lukic, who introduces him to grass and is booked. Free-kick Villa, 30 yards out, almost in line with the corner of the box; McGinn will swing in … and Wilson will head away.
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32 minPau Torres replaces Mings, so Villa lose a bit of physicality but now have a better passer to help them build the play.
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31 minThe first flash of Rogers, who wriggles past a challenge on halfway and finds Elliott, dashing into position for a return … but the ball goes backwards. Villa need to take more risks in possession because currently, Fulham are keeping them out of the box pretty easily.
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30 minJimenez has sustained an adductor injury, weâ€re told, and another with knack is Mings; on the touchline, Pau Torres is getting stripped.
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28 min“In the interests of balance,†begins Paul Oakes, “Iâ€m expecting a detailed review of the expensive bit of Villa Parkâ€s catering offer, as todayâ€s Grace Dent review is a restaurant inside Craven Cottage, and not on a match day! Features a really weird attempted deception as well.â€
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26 minLooking again at the King booking, he goes to ground before Martinezâ€s challenge comes; if heâ€d stayed up, heâ€d have been cleaned out, and that wouldâ€ve been a penalty.
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24 minKing is an absolute menace, twinkling in off the right, skipping across McGinn and shooting; Cash, spreading his body to block, wears the shot on his hand. Naturally Fulham want a penalty, but the ref turns them down … and so does VAR, I guess because the defender wasnâ€t looking at where the ball came from, so couldnâ€t do much to get out of the way. Itâ€s a marginal one.
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23 minLovely from Fulham, Castagne and Wilson combining nicely to release Traore, who moves on to King; he drives towards into the box, goes down as Martinez comes out, and is booked for diving. I canâ€t argue with that, though Iâ€m sure heâ€d run the anticipating contact defence.
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22 min“Points of pedantry,†begins Benjamin Gravestock, “but VPâ€s camera viewpoint is in the Doug Ellis Stand not the Trinity Road one…
Canâ€t really blame you – I once was involved in considering the club as a venue for a corporate event, and was startled to see VP was mirrored in their own brochure, with all the stands in the wrong place…!
Other Villa thoughts: our issues with wing-back systems really haunted us with Crystal Palace and Manchester United at the end of last season, and I think Rashford being shoehorned in unbalanced the side slightly. Morgan Rogers†club decline started after being pushed into the wider forward role by the presence of Asensio, too. Asensio created and scored enough that it didnâ€t really matter, but Rogers†seems to still be struggling to adapt either to being wide or being back in the middle.
I still think this squad is good. The summer was frustrating, but if we can just keep going I think itâ€ll come back to us eventually. Personally Iâ€m not among the bubbling Emery-doubters – this is certainly the best squad Iâ€ve seen in my 30 years of following, and whilst no one can argue theyâ€re playing well, I have faith!â€
Thatâ€s odd – I checked, and Google told me the dugouts, opposite our view, are in the Doug. On Rashford, I totally didnâ€t buy the line we were fed that he was good at Villa, he wasnâ€t – and I donâ€t think the players were impressed with or by him either – and agree thereâ€s a good side in there.
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19 minFulhamâ€s attackers run the channels really well, and the balls down the line to bring them into play are hit really accurately. One finds Traore, who canâ€t make anything of it, but the tactic is giving them plenty of joy, and I see no reason why that wonâ€t continue given how high Villa defend.
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Updated at 09.21 EDT
18 minA poor touch from Bassey, followed by a poor, panicked pass, allows McGinn to steal the ball on the edge of the box, and heâ€s in! But opening his body, his curler wafts wide, and thatâ€s a really good chance spurned.
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16 minMcGinn delivers left-footed – why arenâ€t more players able to take with both feet? – and Elliott peels away to the back post, clearly a planned move, then lashes back across, so Sessegnon blocks behind. The second corner comes to nowt.
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15 minWeâ€ve barely seen Villa as an attacking force. So far, the game is going exactly as Fulham want it – though, as I type, Guessand wins a corner down the right.
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A free-kick is curled into the Genk box, Soutta rheads across goal towards the side-netting … and Heynen hooks clear from under his own bar! That is fantastic defending.
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GOAL! Ferencvaros 0-1 Viktoria Plzen (Durosimni 16)
A goal in Budapest.
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GOAL! Young Boys 0-2 Panathaniakos (Zaroury 13)
Big trouble for the Swiss.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna (McGinn 13)
Villa Park has its first goal of the season! The corner goes short and when the cross comes in, Rogers, unmarked should score. But he leathers fresh air then, when the ball is half-cleared to Mcginn on the edge, he gets his knee right over the ball and drives down on it, sending a skidding shot hard, straight and true, just inside the near post.
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Buendia hares through the middle and finds Rogers;his outside-of-the-boot is humped behind.
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Back at Ibrox,Mikey Moore – another Iâ€m looking forward to watching tonight – has swept a shot over the top from the edge.
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GOAL! Young Boys 0-1 Panathanaikos (Swiderski 10)
An early goal in Bern and itâ€s for the visitors.
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Itâ€s amazing how much Robbie Savageâ€s commentary has improved since he started coaching, you can tell heâ€s proper obsessed. Heâ€s just explained how Bologna are “locking on in the press†having previously noted that Villa are almost playing a 4-2-2-2; “as you know, I love formations,†he adds. Itâ€s a great development.
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Villa Park hasnâ€t seen a goal yet this season, but Gassama gets away at inside-right, hangs on a little bit too long, and his shot from a tighter angle than is necessary, is saved.
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But here come Genk again, El Ouahdi sliding in at the far post to send a finish over the top.
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In comms, Robbie Savage says Villa Park is one of his favourite grounds and I agree, itâ€s one of mine, too; the Holte, when full, is one of the great ends and sights in English football. On which point, Ibrox is also a beautiful piece of work and, as I say every time it comes up, by far the noisiest ground Iâ€ve been to, and Iâ€ve been to a few. But Ranger are in trouble, Meghoma stepping up and allowing El Ouahdi in behind, but the shot that follows his cut-back is blocked by Tavernier.
Rangers’ Aasgaard in action with Genk’s Bangoura. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 15.10 EDT
And off we go!
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Our teams come out at both Villa Park and Ibrox Stadium.
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Hereâ€s a Rangers in Europe story. Be very aware, itâ€s an absolute banger.
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Martin explains that Chermiti is playing to add freshness and also that he “suits the game tonightâ€. The team are prepared but need to make it their kind of game and if they repeat Saturdayâ€s performance, he believes they can win.
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Updated at 14.59 EDT
Final scores:Go Ahead Eagles 0-1 Steaua; Lille 2-1 Brann.
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Iâ€m intrigued to see how much dissent there is at Ibrox. Itâ€s rare a manager turns around the kind of situation Russell Martin is experiencing, but as long as heâ€s got a job, heâ€s got hope. Heâ€ll need a result tonight, youâ€d think.
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Is Martin Keown superimposed?
Photograph: TNTShare
As for Bologna, Iâ€m keen to see how Lewis Ferguson gets on. He captained them to their Coppa Italia win, and will want to make an impression tonight.
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I also really like Boubacar Kamara who, if he can stay fit, has lots of the right stuff. I donâ€t think thereâ€s too much wrong at Villa, theyâ€ve just forgotten how to score which has knocked their confidence. For that reason, Iâ€m a little surprised Ollie Watkins has been dropped, because they badly need him firing – and donâ€t forget he also creates – but Iâ€m sure Emery has his reasons.
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Still missing for Villa:Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Youri Tielemans.
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Iâ€m looking forward to seeing how Morgan Rogers does tonight,for no reason other than I love watching him play. I really enjoy his physicality and imagination, and he looks the most likely difference between the sides.
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Emery tells TNT that Martinez is injured, then explains that this is a good opportunity for Malen. Otherwise, he says Villa have been good at home, but European games are always difficult. Itâ€s their dream to play in Europe, but theyâ€ll have to do well to get a result.
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Updated at 14.40 EDT
I wonder if Emery spoke harshly about his players because he thinks they should win tonight; if he does it and they donâ€t, what else can he then say? I think theyâ€ll have too much in midfield for Bologna, and if they can just get that first win, theyâ€ve got more than enough to have a decent season.
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So what of Genk? Well theyâ€re third-bottom of the league and managed by Thorsten Fink, most famous for the clearance that led to this:
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As for Rangers, they make one change following weekend victory over Hibs: Chermiti, making his full debut, replaces Miovski.
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Bologna have a player called Heggem, more than enough excuse to remember this forgotten banger, scored for Liverpool by his namesake on Boxing Day 1998.
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Back to our teams,Emery leaves out Martinez, Mings, Digne and Watkins; in come Bizot, Pau Torres, Maatsen and Malen.
Bologna, meanwhile, 11th in Serie A after beating Genoa 2-1 at the weekend, replace De Silvestri, Heggem, Miranda, Moro, Dominguez, and Orsolini with Zoertea, Lucumi, Lykogiannis, Ferguson, Odgaard and Cambiaghi.
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Email!“I know that itâ€s a well-worn old chuckler, but hey ho,†begins Charles Antaki. “It still raises a smile when you see Go Ahead Eagles go behind.â€
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Teams!
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Maatsen; Guessand, Kamara, McGinn, Rogers; Buendia, Malen. Subs: Proctor, Oakley, Lindelöf, Mings, Elliott, Watkins, Digne, Andrès GarcÃa, Sancho, Bogarde, Burrowes.
Bologna (4-3-3):Skorupski; Zoertea, Vitik, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Ferguson, Freuler, Odgaard; Bernadeschi, Castro, Cambiaghi. Subs:Ravaglia, Pessina, Holk, Moro, Orsolini, Rowe, Heggem, Dallinga, Miranda, Fabbian.
**
Rangers (4-3-3):Butland; Tavernier, Souttar, Cornelius, Meghoma; Diomande, Raskin; Moore; Aasgaard, Gassama, Chermiti. Subs: Kelly, Wright, Rothwell, Barron, Antman, Djiga, Miovski, Gentles, Danilo, Rice, Curtis, McCallion.
Genk (5-3-2):Van Crombrugge; El Ouhadi, Sets, Sadick, Kayembe, Medina; Hrosovsky, Bangoura, Heynen; Sreuckers; Oh. Subs:Mounganga, Ito, Karetsas, Bibout, Sattleberger, Nkuba, Mirisola, Yokoyama, Adedeji-Sternberg, Palacios, Kongolo, Erabi.
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Updated at 14.25 EDT
Latest scores:Go Ahead Eagles 0-1 Steaua Bucharest; Lille 1-0 Brann.
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Preamble
For the first time since arriving at Aston Villa in 2022, Unai Emery finds himself under pressure. At the end of last season, his players were guilty of a complete no-show in their last game, against a Manchester United side that had just lost the Europa League final, which cost them a Champions League spot, and theyâ€ve started this in similar vein, sitting third-bottom of the table and playing so badly their manager has already accused them of being lazy.
As such, todayâ€s match with Bologna – whom Villa beat 2-0 in last seasonâ€s premier competition – is more important than it seems. After receiving such public and stinging criticism, if they cannot rouse themselves to deliver a performance tonight, then what?
Life at Villa Park, though, sounds like a joy relative to goings-on at Ibrox. Though Rangers managed their first win in six against Hibs last weekend, Russell Martin is still in a pickle – one that can only be resolved with a succession of good results and performances. In the meantime, any defeat could mean the end with tonightâ€s match with Genk the latest test of his survival instinct.
Add to that a selection of other matches, and weâ€ve a decent eveningâ€s rubber-necking in prospect.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
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Members of UEFA’s executive committee are reportedly in favour of suspending Israel from UEFA competitions, including the Europa League, according to the Associated Press.
The executive committee is the main decision-making body of UEFA and responsible for the organisation’s governance. On the panel sits UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and 19 other elected members.
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Israel World Cup hopes dashed as UEFA set to vote on suspension
A majority of the 20-strong committee is expected to support any vote favouring a suspension of Israeli teams from international competition.
FIFA are unlikely to follow suit given the organisation’s close links to the administration of Donald Trump’s United States government and the 79-year-old’s vocal opposition to sporting sanctions against Israel.
Donald Trumo (L) and Gianni Infantino (R) at the FIFA Club World Cup Final (Image credit: Getty Images)
However, eight UEFA members do sit on FIFA’s ruling committee, which could ultimately decide matters if a similar issue is brought to a vote when the council meets in Zürich next week.
Calls to ban Israel from international sports including football are on the increase from those in power.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has urged UEFA to impose a similar penalty on Israel to the one handed down to Russia following their 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
It follows growing international concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a result of Israeli military operations in the area and their fight against Hamas.
A close-up of the Europa League trophy (Image credit: Alamy)
Additionally, football executives in Italy and Norway have expressed their reservations about facing Israeli teams in competition. The two countries are scheduled to face Israel in FIFA World Cup qualifying next month.
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A UEFA ban would put an end to Israel’s hopes of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup as the team would not be able to fulfil their remaining fixtures. The country has made one prior appearance at the Finals in 1970 and currently sits third in UEFA’s Group I.
Russian teams are yet to be reinstated to FIFA and UEFA competition since their suspension.
The Times claims ‘several European clubs [have] asked UEFA if there [is] any way they could avoid playing Israeli opponents’, while Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki’s supporters staged protests ahead of their Europa League fixture with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
PAOK fans protest Maccabi Tel Aviv’s participation in the Europa League (Image credit: Getty Images)
What will happen to Aston Villa’s Europa League fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv?
Article 29.03 of UEFA’s Europa League regulations states: “If a club is disqualified or for any reason withdraws from the competition before all its matches in the league phase have been played, the results of all its matches played until that moment remain valid.
“A calculation of points will need to take place upon completion of the league phase to take the cancelled matches into account. Any club that has not been able to play its scheduled match against a disqualified/withdrawn club is awarded the average number of points earned by all clubs in its same seeding pot against the clubs in the same pot as that disqualified/withdrawn club in home matches, if the affected club was due to play at home, or in away matches if the affected club was due to play away.
“The league phase points of all matches that have been played, including the points obtained by clubs in matches involving the disqualified/withdrawn club before their disqualification/withdrawal are not adjusted in any way, and all taken into account for the average points calculation.”
Asked if Emery had called his players lazy privately, Konsa added: “No. The boss is not a big speaker. Sometimes he keeps himself to himself.
“As players, we have been in the game a long time and we know what we need to do. It is down to us at the end of the day. We are on the pitch, not the manager. We have to figure it out for ourselves as well.”
Speaking before Bologna’s visit to Villa Park in the Europa League on Thursday, Emery said he was “angry” after the match against Sunderland.
“I was frustrated and disappointed but when I analysed it I was getting the balance,” said Emery.
“I am demanding and always trying to understand how we can feel stronger. After the match I told the players we have to be more demanding.”
The draw against Sunderland left Villa 18th in the Premier League and winless in their opening five games, out of the Carabao Cup and having scored just one league goal.
Konsa, though, says the club are not in “crisis”.
“I don’t think we are at the stage where we need to have meetings,” he said. “People will talk about crisis meetings and things like that but we have got a great captain in John McGinn, who really takes the lead in stuff like that.
“After the game, he said a few words to keep us going, to keep encouraging us. Look, we haven’t started the season well. We know that. But I’m sure it’s going to go well soon.
“It shows how far we have come over the last three years [that people have criticised Villa’s start to the season]”.