Villa Grind Out Fulham Win to Stay in Top-Five Hunt

Aston Villa returned to winning ways with a narrow but crucial 1-0 victory over Fulham at Villa Park, extending their dominance in this fixture to five consecutive Premier League wins—a streak bettered only by their historic runs against Coventry City (7) and Birmingham City (6).

Youri Tielemans’ early header proved the difference in a scrappy contest, as Villa bounced back from back-to-back defeats to maintain their charge for European football. The Belgian midfielder’s decisive goal came in a first half where both sides had opportunities but lacked cutting edge.

Goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez and Bernd Leno were both called into action, with Ollie Watkins squandering two chances and Donyell Malen rattling the crossbar late on. The xG figures—Villa at 0.86 and Fulham at 0.71—reflected the lack of attacking precision in a match more tense than thrilling.

The win extends Villa’s unbeaten home run in the Premier League to 17 games (W10 D7), equalling their longest ever in the competition. It also lifts them level on points with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, tightening the race for a coveted top-five finish.

Meanwhile, Fulham’s slump continued, with Marco Silva’s side now having lost six of their last 10 league matches, including four of their last five on the road. With a tough run-in ahead and the likes of Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth closing in, their hopes of European football are fading fast.

Villa next travel to Bournemouth, while Fulham look to regroup when they host Everton.

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