Aston Villa kept their hopes of a top-five finish alive as they narrowly defeated Fulham 1-0 at Villa Park, extending their unbeaten home Premier League record to 17 games. The win moves Villa level on points with Chelsea in fifth, albeit having played a game more.
It has been a difficult few weeks for Villa, with exits from the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals threatening to derail their season. A last-gasp defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League last time out has given them work to do in the battle for Champions League qualification, meaning nothing other than three points would do here.
Fulham, meanwhile, also needed the win to boost their hopes of European football, making the opening 45 minutes a fast-paced affair in the Midlands. Clear-cut opportunities were at a premium, but Villa used the best one to go into the break in front. Shortly before the quarter-hour mark, Youri Tielemans rose highest to head John McGinn’s corner past Bernd Leno, who could not keep the ball out despite getting a head to it.
Tielemans was inches away from doubling his team’s lead shortly before the interval, while Emiliano Martinez’s relatively routine save from Alex Iwobi’s strike was the closest the Cottagers came to an equaliser. After the break, there were more opportunities for both teams. Fulham even thought they had drawn level when Ryan Sessegnon netted from just inside the area, but the ball hit his hand in the build-up and the goal was therefore chalked off.
Harry Wilson then had a brilliant opportunity for Marco Silva’s men, yet he was unable to lift the ball over Martinez. The Wales international was arguably the most dangerous player of the second period, although he should have done better when he planted a free header straight into MartÃnez’s hands. At the other end, a strong Leno foot kept out Ollie Watkins’ low drive as the encounter remained on knife-edge.
Fulham continued their search for parity, with Silva introducing Adama Traore, among others, to give his team more impetus. Ultimately, though, the Villans stood firm to secure a win that could have been extended when Donyell Malen’s late effort struck the crossbar. The visitors’ quest for continental football, on the other hand, suffers a considerable blow, with results elsewhere this weekend meaning Fulham could drop into the bottom half.