Aston Villa vs Liverpool, 2025-26 English Premier League
· English Premier League
FT
4 - 2
4 - 2
Watkins leads Villa past Liverpool to clinch UCL spot
Aston Villa enjoyed a perfect send off ahead of the Europa League final as a 4-2 win over Liverpool booked their place in next season's Champions League and left the Reds still sweating over their qualification.
Match Timeline
- 0': Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
- 0': First Half begins.
- 2': Attempt saved. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool). Assisted by Morgan Rogers.
- 5': Foul by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
- 5': Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 8': Attempt missed. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Emiliano Buendía.
- 8': Delay in match because of an injury Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
- 10': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 11': Offside, Liverpool. Cody Gakpo is caught offside.
- 12': Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 12': Foul by Joe Gomez (Liverpool).
- 13': Attempt blocked. Matty Cash (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Youri Tielemans.
- 15': Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 15': Foul by John McGinn (Aston Villa).
- 18': Foul by Victor Lindelöf (Aston Villa).
- 18': Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 20': Attempt missed. Joe Gomez (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.
- 21': Foul by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
- 21': Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 25': Attempt missed. Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.
- 27': Attempt saved. Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal by Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa). Assisted by Rio Ngumoha.
- 27': Offside, Liverpool. Cody Gakpo is caught offside.
- 31': Attempt saved. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner by Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa). Assisted by Curtis Jones.
- 31': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Emiliano Martínez.
- 32': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Morgan Rogers.
- 33': Attempt missed. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai with a cross following a corner.
- 35': Foul by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
- 35': Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 37': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by John McGinn.
- 38': Foul by Matty Cash (Aston Villa).
- 38': Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 39': Matty Cash (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 42': Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Ryan Gravenberch.
- 42': Goal! Aston Villa 1, Liverpool 0. Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lucas Digne following a corner.
- 45': Foul by Lucas Digne (Aston Villa).
- 45': Curtis Jones (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 45': Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time.
- 45'+1': Foul by Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool).
- 45'+1': Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 45'+2': Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 45'+2': Foul by Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool).
- 45'+3': Offside, Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins is caught offside.
- 45'+3': Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card.
- 45'+4': First Half ends, Aston Villa 1, Liverpool 0.
- 45': Substitution, Aston Villa. Ross Barkley replaces Victor Lindelöf.
- 45': Second Half begins Aston Villa 1, Liverpool 0.
- 50': Attempt blocked. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Rio Ngumoha with a cross.
- 50': Attempt missed. Joe Gomez (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
- 52': Foul by Ross Barkley (Aston Villa).
- 52': Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 52': Goal! Aston Villa 1, Liverpool 1. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai with a cross following a set piece situation.
- 55': Offside, Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins is caught offside.
- 56': Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) hits the right post with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Ryan Gravenberch.
- 56': Attempt missed. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right.
- 57': Goal! Aston Villa 2, Liverpool 1. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Morgan Rogers.
- 59': Attempt saved. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool). Assisted by Emiliano Buendía with a through ball.
- 59': Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 59': Foul by Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
- 62': Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 62': Foul by Joe Gomez (Liverpool).
- 62': Joe Gomez (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 64': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Pau Torres.
- 65': Attempt missed. Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai with a cross following a corner.
- 65': Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 65': Foul by Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool).
- 65': Attempt saved. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool). Assisted by Morgan Rogers.
- 66': Foul by John McGinn (Aston Villa).
- 66': Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 66': John McGinn (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
- 66': Substitution, Liverpool. Federico Chiesa replaces Joe Gomez.
- 66': Substitution, Liverpool. Florian Wirtz replaces Ryan Gravenberch.
- 67': Foul by Lucas Digne (Aston Villa).
- 67': Federico Chiesa (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
- 68': Offside, Liverpool. Cody Gakpo is caught offside.
- 69': Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Federico Chiesa.
- 70': Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) hits the bar with a right footed shot from the left side of the box. Assisted by Matty Cash.
- 70': Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
- 73': Attempt saved. Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool).
- 73': Attempt saved. Pau Torres (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool).
- 73': Goal! Aston Villa 3, Liverpool 1. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner following a corner.
- 74': Substitution, Liverpool. Mohamed Salah replaces Cody Gakpo.
- 75': Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 75': Foul by Federico Chiesa (Liverpool).
- 76': Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 76': Foul by Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool).
- 78': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Youri Tielemans.
- 82': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Lucas Digne.
- 83': Attempt saved. Federico Chiesa (Liverpool) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top left corner by Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa).
- 83': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Emiliano Martínez.
- 83': Attempt blocked. Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai.
- 84': Delay in match because of an injury Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
- 85': Substitution, Aston Villa. Ian Maatsen replaces Emiliano Buendía because of an injury.
- 85': Delay over. They are ready to continue.
- 85': Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.
- 85': Foul by Florian Wirtz (Liverpool).
- 86': Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
- 86': Foul by Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).
- 89': Goal! Aston Villa 4, Liverpool 1. John McGinn (Aston Villa) left footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Ollie Watkins.
- 90': Substitution, Aston Villa. Douglas Luiz replaces Youri Tielemans.
- 90': Substitution, Aston Villa. Jadon Sancho replaces John McGinn.
- 90': Fourth official has announced 8 minutes of added time.
- 90'+1': Attempt blocked. Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is blocked. Assisted by Milos Kerkez.
- 90'+1': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Ezri Konsa.
- 90'+2': Goal! Aston Villa 4, Liverpool 2. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai with a cross following a corner.
- 90'+3': Attempt blocked. Ross Barkley (Aston Villa) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Morgan Rogers.
- 90'+4': Ross Barkley (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
- 90'+4': Foul by Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool).
- 90'+5': Attempt blocked. Lucas Digne (Aston Villa) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
- 90'+5': Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Virgil van Dijk.
- 90'+7': Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Pau Torres.
- 90'+7': Attempt missed. Curtis Jones (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Dominik Szoboszlai with a cross following a corner.
- 90'+9': Second Half ends, Aston Villa 4, Liverpool 2.
- 0': Match ends, Aston Villa 4, Liverpool 2.
Statistics
 LIV |
AVL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Fouls | 12 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 3 | Offsides | 2 |
| 9 | Corner Kicks | 4 |
| 5 | Saves | 3 |
| 55.3 | Possession | 44.7 |
| 16 | SHOTS | 14 |
| 5 | ON GOAL | 9 |
| 0.3 | On Target % | 0.6 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 384 | Accurate Passes | 299 |
| 443 | Passes | 365 |
| 0.9 | Pass Completion % | 0.8 |
| 9 | Accurate Crosses | 1 |
| 24 | Crosses | 11 |
| 0.4 | Cross % | 0.1 |
| 34 | Long Balls | 47 |
| 17 | Accurate Long Balls | 21 |
| 0.5 | Long Balls % | 0.4 |
| 3 | Blocked Shots | 3 |
| 6 | Effective Tackles | 9 |
| 9 | Tackles | 11 |
| 0.7 | Tackle % | 0.8 |
| 9 | Interceptions | 5 |
| 16 | Effective Clearances | 24 |
| 16 | Clearances | 24 |
Game Information
Competition: English Premier League
Venue: Villa Park
Location: Birmingham, England
Attendance: 43,033
Venue: Villa Park
Location: Birmingham, England
Attendance: 43,033
Premier League Table
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 38 | +44 | 85 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | +42 | 78 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | +19 | 71 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | +7 | 65 |
Line-Ups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 23 | Emiliano Martínez (GK) |
| 14 | Pau Torres |
| 4 | Ezri Konsa |
| 12 | Lucas Digne |
| 2 | Matty Cash  |
| 27 | Morgan Rogers |
| 8 | Youri Tielemans |
| 3 | Victor Lindelöf |
| 11 | Ollie Watkins |
| 10 | Emiliano Buendía |
| 7 | John McGinn |
Liverpool (4-2-3-1)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 25 | Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK) |
| 4 | Virgil van Dijk |
| 5 | Ibrahima Konaté |
| 6 | Milos Kerkez |
| 2 | Joe Gomez |
| 8 | Dominik Szoboszlai |
| 10 | Alexis Mac Allister |
| 38 | Ryan Gravenberch |
| 18 | Cody Gakpo |
| 73 | Rio Ngumoha |
| 17 | Curtis Jones |
Premier League News
Andy Robertson joins Tottenham on free transfer after leaving Liverpool
Tottenham have completed the signing of Andy Robertson on a free transfer following his departure from Liverpool, the north London club has confirmed.
Man City chairman 'wants to' talk about 115 charges against club, but not until ruling
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has things he "wants to say" about the club's legal fight with the Premier League, but insists it will have to wait until a verdict is delivered.
Arsenal's Max Dowman shortlisted for PFA Young Player of the Year award despite sole PL start
Arsenal teenager Max Dowman has been shortlisted to win the 2026 PFA Young Player of the Year award, despite starting just one Premier League game in his breakout season with the newly-crowned English champions.
Man United's Bruno Fernandes targeting award double after PFA nomination
Bruno Fernandes is on course to seal a prestigious award double after being shortlisted for the 2026 PFA Player of the Year prize.
Transfer rumors, news: Liverpool begin talks for Yan Diomande
Liverpool begin talks to sign Yan Diomande, and could Man City switch their attention from Elliot Anderson to Sandro Tonali? Transfer Talk has the latest.