Aston Villa defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Villa Park on Saturday night, securing a club-record 15th consecutive win at home in the Premier League. This comes after Villa defeated reigning league champions Manchester City 1-0 at home during the midweek.

The home team got the game off to a fiery start as Leon Bailey sprinted down the right wing before cutting back the ball to the center, where John McGinn took one touch and fired home a thunderous shot to hand Villa the lead after seven minutes of play. Villa continued to dominate and remained solid at the back to prevent the Gunners from finding an equalizer for the rest of the match.

When asked about whether his team is contending for the Premier League title, Villa manager Unai Emery simply remarked, “I will speak when we are in [week] 30, 32, and if we are in the same position then as we are now, I can speak about [the title race].” With this victory, Villa have propelled themselves into third place on the Premier League table, just two points behind league leaders Liverpool.

The post Aston Villa Makes History in Win Over Arsenal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho managed to turn his loan stint with Aston Villa into a permanent transfer. The Premier League side confirmed the news on Thursday.

Coutinho joined Villa on a loan deal in January from La Liga giants Barcelona. He made an immediate impact, scoring four goals and assisting for three more in 16 appearances. This prompted the English club to try and make a deal permanent before some other suitor swoops in.

The two clubs initially agreed on a fee of around €40 million for a permanent transfer. Still, Villa apparently managed to get a discount thanks to the fact that Barca wanted Coutinho’s wages off their books. Reportedly, the transfer is now worth only €20 million, although the Catalan club is set to get 50 percent of any future transfer Coutinho might make. 

The move allows Barcelona and Philippe Coutinho to make a fresh start and perhaps forget their troubling past together. Barca signed Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018 for a fee of €160 million, which was the club’s record. The Brazilian was expected to be the next big star at Camp Nou, but things didn’t quite work out that way. Due to a combination of injuries, inconsistency, and loans, Coutinho would go on to play only 106 games with Barca, scoring 25 goals and dishing 14 assists.

Coutinho will now hope that he can resurrect his career in Premier League and possibly be an impactful player once again. On the other hand, Barca gets a big financial relief and can use the savings to fund other moves.

The post Philippe Coutinho’s Loan Move to Aston Villa Made Permanent appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has made a sensational return to Premier League. Gerrard, who spent the last three and a half years in charge of Scottish powerhouse Rangers, was named the new manager of Aston Villa on Friday.

According to the club’s official announcement, Gerrard inked a contract until the summer of 2025. The 41-year-old former England captain will succeed Dean Smith, who was fired earlier this month after a five-game losing streak that threatened to drag the club into the relegation battle.

“Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football, and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach,” Gerrard said in a statement. “In my conversations with Nassef, Wes, and the rest of the board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club, and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims.”

Gerrard is facing a tough challenge with Aston Villa, being tasked to help his team meet big expectations after a significant summer transfer window investment. After selling Jack Grealish to Manchester City, the club invested money in several high-profile signings, including winger Leon Bailey, midfielder Emiliano Buendia, and striker Danny Ings. But despite this, Villa struggled in domestic competition and is currently sitting at number 16 in the Premier League with just three wins and 10 points from 11 games.

Steven Gerrard made his first managerial steps with Liverpool’s Under-18s team before taking over the Rangers ahead of the 2018-19 season. He found great success in Scotland and is credited for re-establishing the club as a force in Scottish Premiership. This included guiding the Rangers to an unbeaten season in 2020-21 and their first title in 10 years.

Gerard spent the majority of his playing career with Liverpool, helping The Reds to win the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2004-05 and setting the record for most games as the club’s captain with 473. He also spent two years in MLS, playing for LA Galaxy between 2015 and 2016.

The post Aston Villa Hires Steven Gerrard As New Manager appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Liverpool arrived on Sunday afternoon at Villa Park full of optimism and confidence ahead of their game against Aston Villa. They had won their previous 3 games in the Premier League and were hoping to make it 4 wins in a row against an Aston Villa side who survived relegation through a lucky technology error.

Ollie Watkins, who recently signed for a club-record fee of £28 million from Brentford, started the scoring after Adrian, Liverpool’s second string goalkeeper, sloppily gave the ball away for Watkins to easily put the ball past the keeper into the back of the net. Watkins then went on to complete the perfect hat trick scoring with his right and left foot and a goal with his head.

Liverpool was truly shocked and Klopp went on to tell BBC Sport “It looked like we lost the plot after it went to 1-0”.

Liverpool was missing both Sadio Mane and new summer signing Thiago due to Coronavirus but created the “wrong type of history” according to German manager Jurgen Klopp.

This was the first time since April 1963 that Liverpool had conceded seven goals in a match and it left the Premier League champions in shock.

Many believed that after Manchester City dropped points two weeks in a row against Leicester City and Leeds United that Liverpool would have a free run at the Premier League title but this showed that for Liverpool, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The post Liverpool Left Stunned By Clinical Aston Villa appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a move that surprised many on Wednesday morning, Aston Villa announced that they had signed Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on a loan deal for the 2020-21 season.

Barkley, who joined the Blues in January 2018, had played just 40 minutes in Chelsea’s first three Premier League matches of the season, coming off of the bench twice. He found himself with less playing time than many of the other players in midfield competition like Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, making a move the best move for both parties.

Despite getting lost in the shuffle with the Blues so far this season, Barkley has plenty of talent and could be a difference maker for Villa as they look to survive a second consecutive Premier League campaign.

At only 26 years old, Barkley brings a wealth of experience in England’s top flight to his new club, as he has played in 202 career matches in the competition, netting 25 goals and 30 assists. Barkley has also been a regular on the English national team, being capped 33 times since his 2013 debut.

Barkley has already joined his new club in training and could debut in their Sunday match against Liverpool.

The post Chelsea’s Ross Barkley Heads to Aston Villa on Loan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City added another title to its resume on Sunday, beating Aston Villa by a 2-1 final score to win the EFL Cup for the third straight season.

City took an early 2-0 lead in the game at Wembley, making it nearly impossible for their Birmingham-based opposition to have a chance in the match.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero opened up the scoring after receiving a beautiful headed pass from Phil Foden, beating Villa keeper Ørjan Nyland to open up the scoring in the 19th minute.

It didn’t take long for Guardiola’s side to double its lead and put the game practically out of reach. A corner kick went straight to Rodri, whose header found the net and changed the scoreboard to 2-0 ten minutes later.

Aston Villa did manage to make things a bit interesting just before the end of the first half, taking advantage of a slip by Man City defender John Stones. Anwar El-Ghazi delivered an uncontested cross to Mbwana Samatta, who headed the ball home to cut City’s lead in half.

However, Manchester City held strong in the second half, seeing the game out to a 2-1 final score, claiming its third straight Carabao Cup title after the final whistle blew.

City now sets its sights on its FA Cup versus Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night.

The post Man City Beats Aston Villa 2-1 to Win Third Consecutive EFL Cup appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Premier League is considered one of the toughest European football leagues as it has one of the greatest constellations of clubs battling each other for the title. The competition is strong and the British clubs saw this weekend that a victory isn’t enough to put you up on the League’s charts.  

Tottenham had a scary start in the league this weekend with their first match against Aston Villa. The heavily reinforced team was missing a few players due to injuries and failed to show all its might even though they managed to defeat Villa with a final score of 3-1.  

Aston Villa had a great start at the match with John McGinn successfully scoring a goal in the 9^th minute of the first half. They defended this score for most of the match and things started looking grim for the Hotspurs. However, Tottenham managed to turn the tide in the 73^rd minute when Tanguy Ndombele equalized the score. After this, the match saw another two goals which were scored by Harry Kane in the 86^th and the 90^th minute leading Tottenham to the fifth position on the Premier League scoreboard. 

The post Tottenham Defeats Aston Villa With 3-1 After Slow Start appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After three long seasons in England’s second tier of soccer, one of the country’s most historic clubs is back to play in the Premier League next season.

The Birmingham-based club, with one of the largest fanbases in all of English soccer, won promotion to the Premier League for the 2019-20 season with a 2-1 win over Derby County in the EFL Championship Playoff Final on Monday.

Villa, which finished in 5th place in the Championship this season, achieved promotion after beating West Bromwich Albion in a two-legged tie in the semi-final and then after their win over Derby County at Wembley Stadium.

Two goals, one from Anwar El-Ghazi and another from John McGinn, were enough to propel AVFC to the Premier League.

Derby County scored an 81st-minute goal after a Martyn Waghorn shot, but Villa held on and celebrated madly after achieving their goal.

Aston Villa’s presence is nothing new in the Premier League, as the club had spent 28 consecutive seasons in England’s top flight before being relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Now, they are back where they feel that they belong, and they hope to stay in the Premier League for years to come.

The post Aston Villa Secures Premier League Spot with Win in EFL Championship Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Aston Villa defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Villa Park on Saturday night, securing a club-record 15th consecutive win at home in the Premier League. This comes after Villa defeated reigning league champions Manchester City 1-0 at home during the midweek.

The home team got the game off to a fiery start as Leon Bailey sprinted down the right wing before cutting back the ball to the center, where John McGinn took one touch and fired home a thunderous shot to hand Villa the lead after seven minutes of play. Villa continued to dominate and remained solid at the back to prevent the Gunners from finding an equalizer for the rest of the match.

When asked about whether his team is contending for the Premier League title, Villa manager Unai Emery simply remarked, “I will speak when we are in [week] 30, 32, and if we are in the same position then as we are now, I can speak about [the title race].” With this victory, Villa have propelled themselves into third place on the Premier League table, just two points behind league leaders Liverpool.

The post Aston Villa Makes History in Win Over Arsenal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho managed to turn his loan stint with Aston Villa into a permanent transfer. The Premier League side confirmed the news on Thursday.

Coutinho joined Villa on a loan deal in January from La Liga giants Barcelona. He made an immediate impact, scoring four goals and assisting for three more in 16 appearances. This prompted the English club to try and make a deal permanent before some other suitor swoops in.

The two clubs initially agreed on a fee of around €40 million for a permanent transfer. Still, Villa apparently managed to get a discount thanks to the fact that Barca wanted Coutinho’s wages off their books. Reportedly, the transfer is now worth only €20 million, although the Catalan club is set to get 50 percent of any future transfer Coutinho might make. 

The move allows Barcelona and Philippe Coutinho to make a fresh start and perhaps forget their troubling past together. Barca signed Coutinho from Liverpool in 2018 for a fee of €160 million, which was the club’s record. The Brazilian was expected to be the next big star at Camp Nou, but things didn’t quite work out that way. Due to a combination of injuries, inconsistency, and loans, Coutinho would go on to play only 106 games with Barca, scoring 25 goals and dishing 14 assists.

Coutinho will now hope that he can resurrect his career in Premier League and possibly be an impactful player once again. On the other hand, Barca gets a big financial relief and can use the savings to fund other moves.

The post Philippe Coutinho’s Loan Move to Aston Villa Made Permanent appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has made a sensational return to Premier League. Gerrard, who spent the last three and a half years in charge of Scottish powerhouse Rangers, was named the new manager of Aston Villa on Friday.

According to the club’s official announcement, Gerrard inked a contract until the summer of 2025. The 41-year-old former England captain will succeed Dean Smith, who was fired earlier this month after a five-game losing streak that threatened to drag the club into the relegation battle.

“Aston Villa is a club with a rich history and tradition in English football, and I am immensely proud to become its new head coach,” Gerrard said in a statement. “In my conversations with Nassef, Wes, and the rest of the board, it was apparent how ambitious their plans are for the club, and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their aims.”

Gerrard is facing a tough challenge with Aston Villa, being tasked to help his team meet big expectations after a significant summer transfer window investment. After selling Jack Grealish to Manchester City, the club invested money in several high-profile signings, including winger Leon Bailey, midfielder Emiliano Buendia, and striker Danny Ings. But despite this, Villa struggled in domestic competition and is currently sitting at number 16 in the Premier League with just three wins and 10 points from 11 games.

Steven Gerrard made his first managerial steps with Liverpool’s Under-18s team before taking over the Rangers ahead of the 2018-19 season. He found great success in Scotland and is credited for re-establishing the club as a force in Scottish Premiership. This included guiding the Rangers to an unbeaten season in 2020-21 and their first title in 10 years.

Gerard spent the majority of his playing career with Liverpool, helping The Reds to win the UEFA Champions League trophy in 2004-05 and setting the record for most games as the club’s captain with 473. He also spent two years in MLS, playing for LA Galaxy between 2015 and 2016.

The post Aston Villa Hires Steven Gerrard As New Manager appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Liverpool arrived on Sunday afternoon at Villa Park full of optimism and confidence ahead of their game against Aston Villa. They had won their previous 3 games in the Premier League and were hoping to make it 4 wins in a row against an Aston Villa side who survived relegation through a lucky technology error.

Ollie Watkins, who recently signed for a club-record fee of £28 million from Brentford, started the scoring after Adrian, Liverpool’s second string goalkeeper, sloppily gave the ball away for Watkins to easily put the ball past the keeper into the back of the net. Watkins then went on to complete the perfect hat trick scoring with his right and left foot and a goal with his head.

Liverpool was truly shocked and Klopp went on to tell BBC Sport “It looked like we lost the plot after it went to 1-0”.

Liverpool was missing both Sadio Mane and new summer signing Thiago due to Coronavirus but created the “wrong type of history” according to German manager Jurgen Klopp.

This was the first time since April 1963 that Liverpool had conceded seven goals in a match and it left the Premier League champions in shock.

Many believed that after Manchester City dropped points two weeks in a row against Leicester City and Leeds United that Liverpool would have a free run at the Premier League title but this showed that for Liverpool, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The post Liverpool Left Stunned By Clinical Aston Villa appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In a move that surprised many on Wednesday morning, Aston Villa announced that they had signed Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley on a loan deal for the 2020-21 season.

Barkley, who joined the Blues in January 2018, had played just 40 minutes in Chelsea’s first three Premier League matches of the season, coming off of the bench twice. He found himself with less playing time than many of the other players in midfield competition like Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, making a move the best move for both parties.

Despite getting lost in the shuffle with the Blues so far this season, Barkley has plenty of talent and could be a difference maker for Villa as they look to survive a second consecutive Premier League campaign.

At only 26 years old, Barkley brings a wealth of experience in England’s top flight to his new club, as he has played in 202 career matches in the competition, netting 25 goals and 30 assists. Barkley has also been a regular on the English national team, being capped 33 times since his 2013 debut.

Barkley has already joined his new club in training and could debut in their Sunday match against Liverpool.

The post Chelsea’s Ross Barkley Heads to Aston Villa on Loan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City added another title to its resume on Sunday, beating Aston Villa by a 2-1 final score to win the EFL Cup for the third straight season.

City took an early 2-0 lead in the game at Wembley, making it nearly impossible for their Birmingham-based opposition to have a chance in the match.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero opened up the scoring after receiving a beautiful headed pass from Phil Foden, beating Villa keeper Ørjan Nyland to open up the scoring in the 19th minute.

It didn’t take long for Guardiola’s side to double its lead and put the game practically out of reach. A corner kick went straight to Rodri, whose header found the net and changed the scoreboard to 2-0 ten minutes later.

Aston Villa did manage to make things a bit interesting just before the end of the first half, taking advantage of a slip by Man City defender John Stones. Anwar El-Ghazi delivered an uncontested cross to Mbwana Samatta, who headed the ball home to cut City’s lead in half.

However, Manchester City held strong in the second half, seeing the game out to a 2-1 final score, claiming its third straight Carabao Cup title after the final whistle blew.

City now sets its sights on its FA Cup versus Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night.

The post Man City Beats Aston Villa 2-1 to Win Third Consecutive EFL Cup appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Premier League is considered one of the toughest European football leagues as it has one of the greatest constellations of clubs battling each other for the title. The competition is strong and the British clubs saw this weekend that a victory isn’t enough to put you up on the League’s charts.  

Tottenham had a scary start in the league this weekend with their first match against Aston Villa. The heavily reinforced team was missing a few players due to injuries and failed to show all its might even though they managed to defeat Villa with a final score of 3-1.  

Aston Villa had a great start at the match with John McGinn successfully scoring a goal in the 9^th minute of the first half. They defended this score for most of the match and things started looking grim for the Hotspurs. However, Tottenham managed to turn the tide in the 73^rd minute when Tanguy Ndombele equalized the score. After this, the match saw another two goals which were scored by Harry Kane in the 86^th and the 90^th minute leading Tottenham to the fifth position on the Premier League scoreboard. 

The post Tottenham Defeats Aston Villa With 3-1 After Slow Start appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After three long seasons in England’s second tier of soccer, one of the country’s most historic clubs is back to play in the Premier League next season.

The Birmingham-based club, with one of the largest fanbases in all of English soccer, won promotion to the Premier League for the 2019-20 season with a 2-1 win over Derby County in the EFL Championship Playoff Final on Monday.

Villa, which finished in 5th place in the Championship this season, achieved promotion after beating West Bromwich Albion in a two-legged tie in the semi-final and then after their win over Derby County at Wembley Stadium.

Two goals, one from Anwar El-Ghazi and another from John McGinn, were enough to propel AVFC to the Premier League.

Derby County scored an 81st-minute goal after a Martyn Waghorn shot, but Villa held on and celebrated madly after achieving their goal.

Aston Villa’s presence is nothing new in the Premier League, as the club had spent 28 consecutive seasons in England’s top flight before being relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Now, they are back where they feel that they belong, and they hope to stay in the Premier League for years to come.

The post Aston Villa Secures Premier League Spot with Win in EFL Championship Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.