Tag: Aston Villa

Premier League home stretch: Where things stand as season enters its final month

Some teams are having a blast, while others are going through it

The Premier League is getting down to the nitty-gritty.

The end of the season is approaching, with most teams having five or six games left to secure a trophy, a spot in Europe, or just keep themselves in the top flight for another year.

For some teams, the end of the season was expected to be a pressure-cooker, but has instead been something of a celebration. For others, it’s one last chance to fight their way to safety, or at least salvage some pride in an otherwise disappointing season.

Here’s where everyone stands heading into the last month of the 2022-23 season.

Chelsea headlines six-team Premier League Summer Series in USA

The Premier League will hold its first pre-season tournament in the USA this summer

The Premier League will hold its first preseason tournament in the USA this summer, as six teams were confirmed for the nine-game Premier League Summer Series in late July.

Chelsea will headline the event and will be joined by Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton, Fulham and Newcastle.

Five venues will play host to the games, with Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia hosting the opener on July 22 between Chelsea and Brighton.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Red Bull Arena in New Jersey and FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland will also host games.

Though Premier League sides have been doing preseason tours of the U.S. for years, this is the first preseason tournament in America involving Premier League sides, mirroring the Premier League Asia Trophy.

“We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series,” Premier League CEO Richard Masters said in a statement.

“Our clubs have incredible supporters in the U.S., who passionately follow their teams throughout the season.

“We have seen this dedication first-hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer.

“We are currently enjoying one of the most competitive Premier League seasons of all time at both ends of the table and I am sure we will see some thrilling matches during the tournament.”

Premier League Summer Series 2023 schedule (all kick-off times local)

July 22 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Match 1: Chelsea vs. Brighton (7 p.m.)

July 23 – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Match 2: Fulham vs. Brentford (4 p.m.)
Match 3: Newcastle vs. Aston Villa (7 p.m.)

July 26 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Match 4: Brentford vs. Brighton (5:30 p.m.)
Match 5: Chelsea vs. Newcastle (8:15 p.m.)

July 26 – Exploria Stadium, Orlando
Match 6: Fulham vs. Aston Villa (7 p.m.)

July 28 – Red Bull Arena, New Jersey
Match 7: Brighton vs. Newcastle (7:30 p.m.)

July 30 – FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Match 8: Aston Villa vs. Brentford (12:00 p.m.)
Match 9: Chelsea vs. Fulham (2:45 p.m.)

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Steven Gerrard out at Aston Villa following ugly Fulham defeat

Fans calling for Gerrard to go didn’t have to wait very long

Just like that, it’s over for Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

The former Liverpool and England midfielder was dismissed by Villa shortly after Thursday’s disastrous 3-0 loss to Fulham. The defeat left the club in 17th, with goal difference the only thing keeping them out of the relegation zone. With most clubs having played 11 matches, only Wolves (five) have scored fewer goals than Villa’s seven.

“Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect,” read a terse press release from the club announcing the change. “A club spokesman said: ‘We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.'”

A clearly dispirited Gerrard, speaking after the match, admitted that  “the first half shocked me,” and that the performance on the day “was nowhere near good enough.”

Fulham took the lead through Harrison Reed in the 36th minute before an Aleksandar Mitrović penalty and a late Tyrone Mings own goal provided the final margin on a day where only one team truly turned up to play.

Villa fans that made the trip to Craven Cottage chanted for Gerrard to go as their side drifted towards a listless loss.

Gerrard was hired away from Rangers in November 2021, initially signing a contract that would have kept him at Villa until the end of the 2025 season. Gerrard helped the club to a 10W-5D-12L record from that point on, enough to finish 10 points above the drop zone after a poor start to the year.

However, Villa has posted a disappointing 2W-3D-6L record thus far this season, and showed an alarming lack of intensity as Fulham brushed them aside.

The swiftness of Villa’s move to fire Gerrard is such that the club didn’t even return from Fulham before announcing the news. That, per a report in The Athletic, meant that Gerrard was on the Villa bus heading back to Birmingham even as the world was finding out that he was no longer the team’s manager.

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Rachel Daly leaves Houston Dash, signs with Aston Villa

The Dash’s all-time leading scorer is off to the WSL

After six-and-a-half years, Rachel Daly has left the Houston Dash, signing with Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League in England.

Villa on Tuesday announced that they had signed Daly to a three-year contract, paying Houston an unspecified transfer fee to complete the deal.

“My time in Houston has been a journey. Not many people can say they have played at the same club for seven years. I am honored to have worn orange for that length of time,” Daly told the Dash team site. “I absolutely love this club and the city of Houston. I have created memories that will last a lifetime. I feel happy knowing that I am leaving this club in a much better place than when I arrived. I can’t wait to see the future success of the Houston Dash. I want to thank everyone, from the bottom of my heart.”

In a personal statement posted to her Twitter account, Daly cited a desire to be closer to her family back in England as the motivation for the move.

“It pains me to say goodbye,” wrote Daly. “This past year for myself and my family has been incredibly tough. The silver lining has been bringing football home and getting the opportunity to be around family. This made me realize this is exactly what I needed, to be home.”

Daly leaves Houston as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, having posted 37 regular season goals. She had been Houston’s captain for years, and was named MVP of the 2020 Challenge Cup, which saw the Dash win a trophy for the first time. Recently, Daly was a starter for England as they won Euro 2022 in what could be a landmark moment for women’s soccer in the country.

“This is a big signing for us and one we’ve worked hard on completing. Rachel is a top forward and a proven goalscorer,” said Villa manager Carla Ward in a team statement announcing the move. “Having performed admirably at full-back this summer, she showed us that she is a player you simply need in your team. But for us, she is a forward and we can’t wait to see her scoring goals.”

While losing your captain and all-time leading scorer in the middle of the season is never ideal, Houston seems to already have a solution in place. With Daly away with England, the Dash traded for Ebony Salmon, who has scored six times in five games since a midseason trade from Racing Louisville.

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Man City se disculpa por el ataque del portero de Aston Villa por los fans

Manchester City se tuvo que disculpar con el portero del Aston Villa Robin Olsen, quien fue agredido por fans durante una invasión de la canche después del partido que le dio el campeonato al City. City produjo una volteta de tres goles para …

Manchester City se tuvo que disculpar con el portero del Aston Villa Robin Olsen, quien fue agredido por fans durante una invasión de la canche después del partido que le dio el campeonato al City.

City produjo una volteta de tres goles para quitarle de las manos el título de la Premier League al Liverpool, derrotando al Villa 3-2 en el Etihad Stadium.

Después del silbato final los fans entraron a la cancha para celebrar su cuarto título en cinco temporadas, resultando en escenas caóticas.

En medio del caos, el portero del Villa fue víctima de un ataque y el City ha prometido encontrar al responsable y que se hará justicia.

“Manchester City quisiera disculparse sinceramente con el portero del Aston Villa Robin Olsen, quien fue agredido después del silbato final en el juego de hoy cuando los fans entraron a la cancha,” leía una declaración del club.

“El club ha iniciado una investigación inmediata y una vez identificado, el individuo responsable recibirá un veto indefinido del estadio.”

Gerrard furioso por la agresión a Olsen.

El entrenador del Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard estaba entendiblemente molesto al ver la agresión, y lazó preguntas acerca del incidente al Man City y su entrenador Pepe Guardiola.

A Gerrard le preguntaron durante la conferencia de prensa si sus jugadores estaban sanos y salvos después de la invasión a la cancha, a lo que respondió: “La respuesta a eso es no. Mi portero fue atacado, así que considero que esa pregunta se al deberían hacer a Pep y al Manchester City.

Al ser cuestionado que tan lastimado estaba Olsen, Gerrard respondió: “Ahora vamos a ir a revisar eso.”

Traducción.- Mi potero fue agredido.

Vean la agresión a Olsen

Traducción.- Han salido imagenes impactantes del portero del Aston Villa siendo agredido en varias ocasiones al salir de la canche del Etihad

Man City apologizes after Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen assaulted by fans

Steven Gerrard was furious upon witnessing his goalkeeper be attacked during a pitch invasion

Manchester City has been forced to apologize to Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who was assaulted by fans during a pitch invasion after Sunday’s title-clinching win for City.

City produced a dramatic three-goal comeback to snatch the Premier League title out of Liverpool’s hands, defeating Villa 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

After the final whistle fans stormed the pitch to celebrate their club’s fourth league title in five seasons, producing chaotic scenes.

Amid that chaos, Villa’s goalkeeper fell victim to an assault and City has now vowed to find the perpetrator and bring them to justice.

“Manchester City would like to sincerely apologise to Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who was assaulted after the final whistle at today’s match when fans entered the pitch,” read a statement from the club.

“The club has launched an immediate investigation and once identified, the individual responsible will be issued with an indefinite stadium ban.”

Gerrard furious after Olsen assault

Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard was understandably upset upon witnessing the assault, and directed questions over the incident to City head coach Pep Guardiola and the club.

“My goalkeeper was attacked,” Gerrard said in his post-game press conference. “I think you should ask Pep and Man City those questions.”

“We’re going to see how he is now.”

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Soccer fans roasted Liverpool after shocking 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa

What. Just. Happened.

Sunday was one of the strangest days in recent soccer memory, with Manchester United first giving up six straight goals after scoring against Tottenham.

That was a bit bizarre. What made things even more bizarre, however, was that then Aston Villa went and scored seven (!!!!) goals against league champions Liverpool, winning 7-2 in a game I still can’t believe happened.

It felt like a bizarre fever dream.

Aston Villa barely avoided relegation last season. They added a striker from the Championship, Ollie Watkins, and they took on Ross Barkley from Chelsea. This isn’t some massively overhauled side. They’ve looked good this season, but they’re Villa.

And they hung seven on Liverpool. Watkins had his first Premier League goal, which he quickly turned into his first Premier League hat trick. Jack Grealish scored a few. Ross Barkley got in on the fun.

What was looking like a day of embarrassment for Manchester United fans was quickly forgotten, because Liverpool went and outdid them.

And hoo buddy did Soccer Twitter have fun with it.

Christian Pulisic scored the tying goal in his first Chelsea appearance since January

Captain America is back.

The English Premier League made its return earlier in the week as “Project Restart” went in full swing, and come Sunday, it was Christian Pulisic’s turn to take the pitch for the first time in six months.

Despite Chelsea dominating the opening 45 minutes of its Sunday match against Aston Villa, the Blues went into half down, 1-0. In the 55th minute, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard brought on the USMNT star — who had last appeared for Chelsea on Jan. 1 since suffering a hip injury — off the bench.

And, well, Pulisic’s impact was felt immediately.

Less than five minutes after coming in as a substitute, Pulisic scored on a left-footed volley off a cross from Cesar Azpilicueta.

It was Pulisic’s seventh goal of the season with Chelsea. And just two minutes later, Olivier Giroud provided Chelsea with the go-ahead goal for the 2-1 win.

With a huge match upcoming against Manchester City on Thursday, it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see Lampard have usual attacking starters like Pulisic and Tammy Abraham come off the bench. Following the match, the Chelsea manager had rave reviews for the 21-year-old American.

Via nbcsports.com:

“I hope so. He was hungry. I know that. I felt for him, as I’ve felt for the players with long term injuries. Ruben is in the same position. I know Christian was very hungry. He’s trained well and the ability he has got to arrive in the box, it is a big thing I’ve spoken about with him all season.

“The difference between being a very good attacking player off the side or the players at the real top level of the game who arrive and score in the six yard box and hit big numbers yearly. I really think Christian can do that. I was really pleased with him and the impact he had when he came on. He will start games for us, of course, and I think he’s going to be a big player for us. Not just in this run-in but obviously going forward.”

We can expect to see a lot more of Pulisic in the coming weeks as Chelsea looks to hold onto a Champions League spot.

Referee robs Sheffield United of an obvious goal after goal-line technology malfunctions

What in the world …

For the first time in 100 days, the English Premier League was back in action. And it didn’t take long for the officiating to be the talk of English soccer’s return.

During Wednesday’s match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, Oliver Norwood took a free kick for Sheffield and sent the ball towards goal. Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland hauled in the cross as it curved towards the net but had his momentum (and a bump from a teammate) push him beyond the goal line.

Again, the ball was clearly across the line. I mean, Nyland was grabbing onto the net for balance a good three feet beyond the goal line with the ball past the post. Yet, no goal was given.

That isn’t even close. It’s an obvious goal.

As Sheffield players argued with referee Michael Oliver, the referee pointed at his watch to signal that goal-line technology didn’t alert him to the goal. He didn’t want to consult VAR either. None of that sequence made any sense at all.

There’s a chance that Nyland falling behind the goal confused the goal-line technology system as it tracked the ball because otherwise something went wrong there.

But we can’t be too upset. It feels great to have an in-game sports controversy back in our lives.

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Premier League players wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ jerseys, kneel before game

The Premier League returned on Wednesday, and players showed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Premier League resumed its season on Wednesday following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic, and players took the opportunity to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement amid worldwide protests against injustice.

All Premier League teams will wear patches recognizing Black Lives Matter and the National Health service on their jerseys. Some teams have also replaced the names on the back of the jerseys with “Black Lives Matter.”

At the kickoff of the Aston Villa vs. Sheffield Wednesday, all 22 players dropped to one knee at the start of the game and paused for a few seconds before play began.

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