Aston Villa has clinched qualification for the Champions League for the first time in their history following Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday.
With Tottenham being the only team capable of overtaking Villa for fourth place before Tuesday’s match, Villa’s qualification was confirmed as they now hold a five-point lead over Spurs with one game remaining.
This marks Villa’s return to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the rebranding of the European Cup to the Champions League in the 1991-92 season. Their last appearance in the European Cup was 41 years ago in 1982-83, a season after winning the competition.
While Villa had finished second and fourth in the Premier League in previous seasons, it wasn’t until this campaign that they secured a Champions League berth, with only the top spot guaranteeing qualification in previous years.
The club’s players and staff celebrated the historic achievement during their annual awards night at Villa Park, with images of manager Unai Emery and the team cheering and spraying champagne shared on social media.
Emery expressed his joy, stating, “It’s our dream, we started the season to be here. We’ve had injuries but the team was always focused. To play Champions League is the best.”
Defender Lucas Digne and centre-half Diego Carlos also shared their excitement and pride on social media, highlighting the significance of the achievement after decades of absence from the elite European competition.
Aston Villa’s turnaround under Emery has been remarkable, with the club appointing him in October 2022 when they were 14th in the Premier League. Since then, Villa has significantly improved their performance, with only three clubs collecting more points than them in the Premier League under Emery’s guidance.