FixturesBournemouth Vs. Aston Villa – Wed, Oct 28 2026, 19:45Unai Emery says Aston Villa will keep moving forward into upcoming challenges following their Carabao Cup defeat to Bournemouth. Villa had their chances during a competitive clash on the south coast but ultimately exited at the fourth-round stage.   As ever, Emery was thankful to the travelling support as he assessed the result, while the club’s manager also highlighted big games on the horizon for his side as they look to progress on multiple fronts.“We are disappointed,” he said. “Since I arrived at Aston Villa we’ve played here four times, and we have won, we have drawn, and today we lost, but we played the same match like we played before. “Here, you must be compact, you must avoid the chances they were creating. We needed the ‘keeper, we needed the defence being compact, like we are building this team. “And then when we were attacking, because we were creating chances even more than other times we were playing here, and we weren’t clinical today. “Move on, try to analyse and get positive things: Tyler playing, Marco Bizot playing, Goretzka playing, Garnacho as well having 30 minutes to play, getting confidence and understanding our structure, understanding our level and the difficulties in the Premier League with teams like Bournemouth.“I can’t tell them anything because the players tried and we pushed. We were struggling in the first minutes because they are always so intense. In the second half they started so, so intensely – we knew it and we were trying to avoid it. “They were scoring and we were creating chances after it but not scoring. We are out of this competition, but we have a lot of challenges in front of us. “We have Fulham on Saturday, and Premier League is the priority. Then we have the Champions League and FA Cup. The Carabao Cup was a competition for a trophy and that we were excited and motivated to get something. “Now we’re out and we say thank you to the supporters who were here with us, helping us, travelling from Birmingham to be with us. Thank you, and now we keep going forward.”

Aston Villa completed an undefeated October with victory over Birmingham City in the Subway Players Cup.  The Villans started brightly and had the better of the first half, before Harviken scored her first goal in claret and blue in the 68th minute.  Harris equalised in the 93rd minute to send the tie to penalties.  Ramsey saved two in the shootout to secure the victory and make sure the bragging rights came to Aston. Vote for your player of the match… CAST YOUR VOTE NOW The Villa are back in Barclays Women’s Super League action this weekend, when they hit the road for a tricky away test at Arsenal. Coach travel and match tickets for that fixture are still available to purchase here.Upcoming FixturesArsenal Women Vs. Aston Villa Women – Sun, Nov 11th 2026, 14:00Aston Villa Women Vs. Manchester United Women – Sun, Nov 11th 2026, 14:00Liverpool Women Vs. Aston Villa Women – Sun, Dec 12th 2026, 14:00

FixturesAston Villa Women Vs. Birmingham City Women – Wed, Oct 28 2026, 19:30Aston Villa claimed Second City derby bragging rights by seeing off rivals Birmingham City in a dramatic Players Cup shootout on Wednesday night. Mathilde Harviken broke the deadlock in the second half, heading home from close range for her first goal for the club. Though with Villa set to make it four wins from four in the League Phase, Martha Harris struck in stoppage time to send the tie to a penalty decider. Keeper Emily Ramsey saved from Veatriki Sarri and Asato Miyagawa to decide it 6-5 in the home side’s favour, as they rounded off October unbeaten across all competitions. Next up for the Villans is a trip to the capital to take on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday lunchtime, before they are back home at Villa Park to take on Manchester United on Sunday 8 November. Tickets are available to purchase HERE.It was a relatively tame start to the first Second City derby clash of the season at Keys Park, with both sides much changed and content to ease into proceedings. With the fixtures coming thick and fast interim head coach Brian Sørensen opted to make nine changes from the 3-2 success at Everton on Sunday.  Missy Bo Kearns and Rofiat Imuran were bright on their maiden starts of the campaign. Kearns fired a first-time effort over the bar from the edge of the area inside six minutes, while Imuran, who had made several impressive cameos off the bench in recent weeks, showed more dynamism and drive down the left flank. Visitors Birmingham were the first side to hit the target, with Lily Crosthwaite forcing Villa stopper Emily Ramsey into a sharp save from range in the 17th minute.  Youngsters Georgia Mullet and Lily Murphy proved constant threats on their returns to the XI after combining for both goals in the 2-0 win at Burnley last week. The duo combined on several occasions in the opening half hour, though neither were able to find the back of the net.  First Mullett was set running in behind by a neat Murphy through ball, but the striker’s shot was blocked by a Shannon Cooke sliding tackle.  Then Murphy had a chance herself after a driving run and lay-off from Mullett, though the winger’s cross-goal drive was smothered by stopper Lucy Thomas. All the while visitors Birmingham remained dangerous up the other end of the field. Cooke was denied from range with Ramsey sprawling to her right to smother before the ball could nestle into the bottom corner, as the score remained deadlocked heading into the break.Villa were made to weather a tough patch at the start of the second half, with Birmingham starting the better of the two sides after introducing top scorer Océane Hurtré and Geum-Min Lee at the break.  Hurtré produced a menacing cross into the six yard box within minutes, though Villa skipper Anna Patten was on hand to divert it behind.  Shortly after Lee found space on the edge of the area, though her powerful drive was well parried by Ramsey as Villa continued to stand firm. As the hour mark approached Sørensen opted for a triple change in a bid to bring on fresh energy and turn the tide, with Mathilde Harviken, Océane Deslandes and Lucia Kendall replacing Patten, Imuran and Kearns. Despite coming on to sure up the back line it was centre half Harviken who broke the deadlock nine minutes later, nodding home Lynn Wilms’ cross from inside the six yard box for her first goal in claret and blue.With the lead secured Villa brought on Oriane Jean-François and Chasity Grant, with the two carving out chances for Mia McAulay and Kendall to dart in behind the Blues defence. Villa looked set to double their lead only for their attempts to by thwarted by some last-ditch visiting defending. Grant was played into a similar area from which she netted the equaliser against Liverpool earlier this month, though the Dutch international dragged her effort wide of the far corner. Meanwhile Hurtré remained menacing for the away side. She beat two defenders on the left before fizzing an inviting ball into the box, but goalscorer Harviken was diligent in her regular defensive duties to quell the danger.The encounter continued at a frantic pace into the closing stages. At one end McAulay spurned a chance to settle the tie once and for all, poking wide of the upright after running onto a through ball, before an unmarked Harris powered a header over the bar for Birmingham. Roared on by the majority of the 1500 fans in Hednesford, Villa continued to push right until the final whistle though there was a late sting in the tale. Having spurned a golden chance for an equaliser minutes earlier, Harris made no mistake the second time round. She ran onto a cutback and fired high into the roof of the net to equalise in the fourth of five added minutes, to force a penalty shootout. With the spotlight fixed firmly on the two goalkeepers, Villa’s Ramsey came up trumps with two vital saves. She dived left to palm away Sarri’s spot kick give the home side the advantage, before doing the same to deny Miyagawa as Villa claimed the bonus point with a 6-5 shootout victory. The Villa are back in Women’s Super League action this weekend, when they hit the road for another tricky away test at Arsenal. Coach travel for that fixture is still available to purchase here.Upcoming FixturesArsenal Women Vs. Aston Villa Women – Sun, Nov 11th 2026, 14:00Aston Villa Women Vs. Manchester United Women – Sun, Nov 11th 2026, 14:00Liverpool Women Vs. Aston Villa Women – Sun, Dec 12th 2026, 14:00

FixturesBournemouth Vs. Aston Villa – Wed, Oct 28 2026, 19:45Aston Villa exited the Carabao Cup at the hands of AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night, bringing to an end a seven-match unbeaten run. Amine Adli’s seventh-minute strike saw the Cherries take an early hold of the Fourth Round tie, and despite several opportunities for the visiting Villans, the hosts led 1-0 at half-time. Lewis Cook squeezed an effort past Marco Bizot to extend the lead on 51 minutes and Álvaro Rodriguez rounded off the scoring with 21 minutes to play. Villa will now switch attention back to the Premier League as they prepare to face Fulham at home on Saturday evening.Unai Emery made sweeping changes from the weekend’s win against Manchester City, bringing nine players into the starting XI and handing a first start to Leon Goretzka. The visitors’ resolve was tested early on the south coast as they fell behind after seven minutes, Adli slamming the ball past Bizot from Julio Soler’s looped cross. A flying start from the home side continued as they searched for a second, nearly finding it when Ben Gannon-Doak’s fierce drive was tipped over the crossbar by Bizot.Villa grew into the game, and as the half-hour mark approached, George Hemmings came agonisingly close to marking his return to the starting XI with a goal when he swept a shot inches wide of the far post after latching onto João Gomes’ through ball. Moments later, Michele Di Gregorio rushed at the feet of Brian Madjo to prevent the striker from scoring, while at the other end, Marcus Tavernier grazed the outside of a post with a curling effort. The teams continued to trade chances as the first half drew to a close; Adli firing over the bar for Bournemouth and Goretzka heading over for Villa.The end-to-end nature of the game continued in the opening two minutes of the second half as Gannon-Doak forced a save from Bizot at his near post and a solo run from Ibrahim Mbaye ended with his shot cannoning off Hemmings and drifting narrowly wide. Villa’s ‘keeper produced another fine stop to tip Juanlu Sánchez’s shot onto the crossbar soon after, but from the resulting corner, a mishit cross from Cook caught him out and squirmed in at the near post. Gomes looked to provide an attacking spark when he drove forward, slaloming through several black and red shirts before his low drive was parried away by Di Gregorio.The midfielder’s efforts also saw him send in a cross for Taylor Harwood-Bellis, whose downward header was collected by the Cherries goalkeeper. But with Villa eyeing a route back into the game, Bournemouth struck for a third time after 69 minutes. The hosts won the ball back high up via Tyler Adams, allowing Rodriguez to advance on goal and lash the ball past Bizot. Emery’s men continued to show plenty of endeavour in the closing stages, with Madjo bringing the best out of Di Gregorio and Alysson heading wide as a goal evaded them. Upcoming FixturesAston Villa Vs. Fulham – Sat, Nov 11th 2026, 15:00Barcelona Vs. Aston Villa – Tue, Nov 11th 2026, 17:45Manchester United Vs. Aston Villa – Sat, Nov 11th 2026, 17:30

FixturesBournemouth Vs. Aston Villa – Wed, Oct 28 2026, 19:45Aston Villa are in Carabao Cup action tonight, bidding to make it through to the quarter-finals. Bournemouth stand in their way at Vitality Stadium, and our team to face the Cherries has been revealed. Unai Emery has made nine changes from the weekend’s win against Manchester City. Marco Bizot starts in goal as Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Lamare Bogarde and Tyrone Mings come into the back four. Leon Goretzka makes his first start in midfield, while Emi Buendía, Ibrahim Mbaye and George Hemmings return to the starting XI. Brian Madjo leads the line, and there’s a place on the bench for Modou Keba Cissé. Here are the teams in full…