Aston Villa stood on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League and had a European semi-final to look forward to as the season entered its final month.
The next step on the team’s Europa Conference League journey saw Olympiacos visit Villa Park for the first leg of our last-four tie.
It proved to be a tough contest after the Greek side snatched the initiative via Ayoub El Kaabi.
Goals from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby were not enough for the hosts as Olympiacos earned a 4-2 victory.
Injuries were beginning to take their toll as the team headed south to play Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, succumbing to a 1-0 loss via a late goal.
A quick turnaround into the second leg of our Europa Conference League semi-final saw Villa travel to Greece looking to overturn a two-goal deficit.
El Kaabi had different ideas, however, netting twice to end the club’s interest in the competition.
A big game beckoned next with the visit of Liverpool set to play a big role in Unai Emery’s side’s top four hopes.
The Villa faithful, which included Hollywood legend Tom Hanks, responded by creating a cauldron of noise at Villa Park.
And they were rewarded late in the game when Villa staged a remarkable comeback, snatching a point after trailing 3-1 with five minutes left.
A heavy defeat at Crystal Palace on the final day proved irrelevant after a fourth-place finish was confirmed days earlier, with the staff and squad celebrating their magnificent achievement at the End of Season Awards.
