Aston Villa enjoyed a remarkable 2025-26 campaign as Unai Emery guided the club to Europa League glory and a fourth-place Premier League finish.
Twelve months after narrowly missing out on the Champions League, Villa bounced back in style by ending a 30-year trophy drought with a memorable Europa League triumph in Istanbul. Emery, widely regarded as a specialist in European competition, once again proved his pedigree as Villa defeated Freiburg 3-0 in the final to secure silverware and Champions League football.
The season did not begin smoothly. Villa struggled badly in the opening weeks, taking just three points from their first five league matches, leading to criticism from sections of supporters. However, their European campaign reignited momentum, starting with a narrow win over Bologna before a stunning run of victories pushed them back into the Premier League top four.
Villa also enjoyed impressive victories over Liverpool and Manchester City during the closing stages of the season to secure fourth place comfortably.
Ollie Watkins finished as the club’s top scorer with 16 goals after rediscovering form late in the campaign. Morgan Rogers, Emi Buendia and Youri Tielemans all delivered key moments throughout the season, while captain John McGinn remained the heartbeat of Emery’s side.
Villa’s Europa League journey included knockout victories over Lille, Bologna and Nottingham Forest before the final triumph in Turkey. Rogers was later named Europa League Player of the Season after scoring in the final.
Despite concerns surrounding recruitment and squad depth, Emery once again extracted the maximum from his players and further strengthened his legendary status at Villa Park.
After years of rebuilding following promotion in 2019, Aston Villa now head into next season with renewed belief, major silverware and a return to Europe’s biggest stage under one of football’s most experienced managers.
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