Aston Villa achieve Champions League dream with Spurs' defeat
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Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League for the first time in club history thanks to Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday.
Unai Emery's fourth-placed team has an unassailable five-point lead over Spurs with just one game remaining in the Premier League season. Only the top four teams make the cut.
THIS MOMENT. pic.twitter.com/y5aLjEsq6t
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 14, 2024
Villa's last foray in Europe's top club competition was in 1983 when they were defending European Cup champions. They bowed out to Juventus in the quarterfinals that year.
Spurs will likely have to settle for Europa League football. After leading the Premier League early in the season, Ange Postecoglou's side tumbled down the standings, going five matches without a win across November and December. Crucially, it has lost five of its last six contests.
Newcastle United and Chelsea each have to win their final two matches to have any hope of dislodging Tottenham from fifth.
| Club | GP | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. Tottenham | 37 | +10 | 63 |
| 6. Newcastle | 36 | +22 | 57 |
| 7. Chelsea | 36 | +12 | 57 |
Villa also struggled down the stretch as they juggled their obligations in the Europa Conference League. Though they've won just three of their last 10 league fixtures, Monday's 3-3 draw with Liverpool meant Tottenham had to win to keep the Champions League race alive.
Emery has masterminded an incredible turnaround at Villa Park since taking over from Steven Gerrard in October 2022. Only Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal have earned more points than Villa since the Spaniard's arrival.