Aston Villa have enjoyed a memorable 12 months, which has seen yet more progression domestically, participation in two European competitions and numerous records broken.
We made a strong start to the 2024/25 Premier League season, while also ending the calendar year fifth in the league phase of the Champions League, following famous nights at Villa Park which brought victories over Bayern Munich and Bologna.
Join us for the second and final part of The Villa Year, as we take a look back on an unforgettable 2024 for our men’s first team…
July
Ross Barkley, who was at Villa on loan in 2020/21, returned on a permanent basis after spells with Luton Town and French club OGC Nice. On the same day, the club announced the arrival of Argentine midfielder Enzo Barrenechea and England Under-21 international Samuel Iling-Jr from Juventus. Amadou Onana was another new signing, the powerful midfielder joining from Everton.
Watkins and Konsa impressed for England at the European Championships, with the former scoring a dramatic late winner against Netherlands in the semi-final.
The build-up to 2024/25 got underway with wins against Walsall and Spartak Trnava of Slovakia, while the squad headed to the USA for a pre-season tour which took them to Washington DC, Columbus, New York and Chicago.
The club mourned the loss of former goalkeeper Fred Potter, who died at the age of 83.
August
Emery’s men completed their pre-season programme with a 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao in Walsall and a game against Dortmund in Germany.
A new five-year contract for Martínez saw the Argentine commit his future to the club, delighting fans by announcing the news during an appearance at the Villa Store.
The Premier League campaign started with a 2-1 win at West Ham, thanks to an early debut goal for Onana and a late strike from Durán. Three points in east London were followed by a 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal and a 2-1 success at Leicester City, where Onana and Durán were once again the scorers.
We mourned the passing of three more former Villans – ex-players Bobby Thomson and Alan Little, plus former coach Craig Shakespeare.
September
Watkins scored twice as Villa hit back from two down for a 3-2 home win against Everton, with Durán notching the winner with a spectacular 30-yard effort. Watkins’ brace made him Vila’s second-highest Premier League marksman with 61 goals.
Another comeback ended in a 3-1 home win against Wolves after the visitors led until the 73rd minute. Watkins bagged the equaliser before Konsa and Durán secured all three points.
After trailing to Ipswich Town at Portman Road, Villa roared back again to lead 2-1 at half-time through Rogers and Watkins, only for Liam Delap’s second goal to earn the Tractor Boys a 2-2 draw.
The club’s first UEFA Champions League match saw the team romp to a 3-0 win away to BSC Young Boys of Switzerland. Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Onana were the players on target in Bern.
An Emi Buendía header and a Durán penalty were enough for a 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers in the third round of the Carabao Cup, with five Academy youngsters making their senior debuts.
Villa lost a club legend as Gary Shaw, the striker who helped Villa to League Championship and European Cup glory in the early 1980s, pass at the age of 63. The club marked his loss at Villa Park, with a minute’s applause prior to our clash with Wolves.
October
An unforgettable start to the month saw the club host a dinner in tribute to the players who won the 1982 European Cup – and 24 hours later, the current team repeated the famous 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich. Durán produced the winning moment, scoring a spectacular goal against the German giants. A 2-0 triumph against Bologna later in the month, thanks to goals from McGinn and Durán, sent Villa top of the league phase table.
After a goalless draw at home to Manchester United, Villa were 3-1 winners at Fulham via Rogers, Watkins and an Issa Diop own goal.
A home draw against Bournemouth in which Barkley scored his first goal of the season followed, before our 11-match unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
November
Despite leading through Rogers, Villa suffered a 4-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, and there was more disappointment in the form of a 1-0 loss at Club Brugge and a 2-0 setback at Liverpool.
Goals from Watkins and Barkley earned a 2-2 home draw against Crystal Palace after Villa trailed twice, and our Champions League campaign continued with a goalless home draw against Juventus. Martínez paraded his two Yashin Trophies ahead of kick-off in the latter after being crowned the world’s best goalkeeper in consecutive years.
December
The final month of 2024 began on a negative note with a defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the team quickly bounced back with a 3-1 home victory over Brentford, thanks to first-half goals from Rogers, Watkins and Cash.
Durán netted on his first league start of the season to see off Southampton at a windy Villa Park, and the young Colombian striker scored again in a 3-2 Champions League success at RB Leipzig, where McGinn and Barkley were also on target.
Durán found the net twice more against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, with Villa losing at The City Ground before felling the reigning champions with a superb performance. A brilliant goal from Rogers helped to clinch a 2-1 win when City visited B6.
Boxing Day failed to provide any festive cheer in a 3-0 loss to Newcastle United on Tyneside, before Emery’s men ended the calendar year with a point in an entertaining 2-2 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion – Watkins and Rogers on the scoresheet.
