Villa primed to gift CL place to Liverpool, Chelsea after Wolves take advantage of shambolic display | OneFootball

Aston Villa had Champions League qualification in the palm of their hands, but they are now facing the increasing real threat of missing out on the competition for the second straight season.

Their remarkable run of form up until the New Year had them dreaming of the Premier League title but looking certain for a third-place finish at a minimum, which was unthinkable as they sat in the relegation places in the opening weeks of the season.

This was a massive overachievement that Unai Emery masterminded with an inferior squad to sides around them, but they have been exposed in recent weeks.

Injuries have taken their toll, but their severe lack of goals has also caught up with them as they only picked up 12 points from their eight matches before Friday night’s trip to face local rivals Wolves.

Molineux is not a happy stomping ground for Aston Villa, who have lost four of their last six games at Wolves. But the hosts have been the poorest side in the Premier League this season by quite some distance, so Emery’s team will have no better chance to improve this record than they had on Friday evening.

And with back-to-back games against Champions League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United next (before they finish the season against Liverpool and Man City), Wolves really was a must-win match for Aston Villa as sides below close in.

Wolves have been doomed for a while, but what they lack in quality is made up for by their endeavor and they were more than a match for an out-of-sorts Aston Villa side this time out.

Villa started the match pretty well and should have had an early lead through Ollie Watkins or Pau Torres, but their frustration quickly grew, and this was exemplified by Morgan Rogers’ childish lashout at Yerson Mosquera shortly before the interval.

The visitors failed to take advantage as Wolves created their own problems at the back with needless overplaying, with Emery’s persistent marching up and down the touchline doing little to inspire Villa to increase their tempo and improve an alarmingly flat display.

Aston Villa sorely lacked inspiration and urgency as they stumbled out of the traps in the second half, while Wolves gradually grew in confidence and took the lead via one of the match’s only moments of real quality.

Joao Gomes, who will surely remain in the Premier League or move to another top European league after Wolves’ relegation, started and finished a fine Wolves move to set the division’s bottom-placed side on course for only their second win of the campaign.

Emery was exasperated and Villa’s players were well-shocked, but Gomes’ goal was all that the performance of either side deserved.

Mosquera’s goalline clearance denied Aston Villa their latest late salvo before Rodrigo Gomes struck on the counter to secure a 2-0 win that moves them clear of Derby County’s record low points total.

As for Aston Villa, Manchester United will move above them on goal difference if they beat Crystal Palace, while Chelsea and Liverpool will only be three points shy if they take all three points against Arsenal and West Ham.

Based on this performance and their sharp decline over the past few weeks, Aston Villa’s season could end with a real whimper as they rely on their Europa League run, with Man Utd the new frontrunners to finish third behind Liverpool or Chelsea.