The last time Aston Villa lifted a trophy, Tony Blair hadn’t yet become Prime Minister. April 1996. Wembley. A League Cup victory under Brian Little that now feels like a lifetime ago. Every season since, that wait has grown heavier. But on Thursday night at Villa Park, something shifted. Goals from John McGinn and Leon Bailey sealed a 3-0 aggregate win over Lille and sent Villa into the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time in their history. For a club of Villa’s size and tradition, this Europa League run feels different. It feels real. It feels like the moment the drought finally ends. Can you feel it too?
Emery came here to win and the finish line is in sight
When Unai Emery walked into his first press conference as Aston Villa manager, he made one thing crystal clear: he came to Birmingham to win trophies. Not to stabilise. Not to rebuild quietly. To win. Three and a half years later, with 100 wins already banked and a European quarter-final secured, he is closer than ever to delivering on that promise. The four-time Europa League winner now reaches the last eight of this competition for an extraordinary eighth time: no other manager in history has done so more than five times. Bologna stand between Villa and a semi-final. Emery has been here before. He knows exactly what this moment requires. The question is, does this squad have what it takes to go all the way?
Bologna, then what? Villa can see the path to glory
With Lyon sensationally knocked out by Celta Vigo, Villa’s path to the final has opened up considerably. Bologna await in the quarter-finals. The italians are a talented but beatable side and Villa now genuinely dare to dream. Dion Dublin summed it up well on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying Villa did what was necessary against Lille, but that they will need to raise their performance levels to go deep. He’s absolutely right. The Premier League form has been poor, but this Europa League campaign has been consistently impressive. Thirty years is a long time to wait. The fans deserve this. The club deserves this. And if Emery’s men can find another gear, the trophy cabinet at Villa Park is about to get a lot less dusty. Believe. 🦁
