
Football
Share
Published 17:01 16 May 2024 BST
Updated 17:02 16 May 2024 BST

It turns out that Sir Alex Ferguson was right all along about Aston Villa.
Unai Emery's side booked their place in the Champions League this week after Spurs' defeat against Manchester City the day before their draw against Liverpool meant Ange Postecoglou's side could no longer catch the Villains
It's the first time Villa have qualified for the Champions League since the 1982-1983 season.
Their opening day hammering to the hands of Newcastle United seems a lifetime away and in amongst their great form, Sir Alex's comments about the West Midlands outfit have resurfaced.
While many were quick to write off the Villains, Ferguson tipped them to do as well as they are doing now.
After the game, he told NBC Sports: "To be honest with you, I watched Aston Villa and I can't believe the scoreline. Honestly Aston Villa played fantastic football and just lost to bad goals.
"Newcastle are going to be very difficult to beat, in their own ground in particular, and their manager has done a great job there. It's a surprising game, football. You can play teams off the pitch and not score - that's what Aston Villa did."
— sarge. (@__sargee) December 6, 2023
It seems that more are taking notice of Emery's side too, with Pep Guardiola admitting that Villa are in the title race.
"Yes, definitely. For the way they are playing, their physicality, their speed, the bench, Unai Emery, their mid-block, set-pieces. Definitely," he said.
Related links:
Explore more on these topics:
Football

How the final Premier League table would look if every refereeing error was erased
Things would have looked very different. Every major refereeing decision leading up to the final few weeks of the Premier League season have been analysed, to establish how things may have played out differently, had PGMO officials always made the correct calls, in an impressive new report from the Athletic. The 2025/26 season ultimately ended […]
Football
1 day ago
The 2026 World Cup viral moments live blog: Follow all of the action in our hub
The biggest sporting tournament in the world is here… The World Cup gives us unforgettable goals and iconic moments that live forever in football folklore. But alongside the sporting drama, every tournament also brings pure chaos. This SportsJOE live blog is dedicated to the clips, memes, reactions, and stories that captured the internet’s attention throughout […]
Football
1 day ago
The Premier League club most impacted by VAR mistakes has been revealed
Football