REVEALED: WHY ASTON VILLA’S "PERFECT TEN" HOME RUN MAKES THEM LEGITIMATE TITLE FAVORITES
Unai Emery makes history: Aston Villa moves within 3 points of Arsenal after Morgan Rogers destroys United at Villa Park.
Morgan Rogers was on fire, scoring two sweet goals as Aston Villa cemented their spot in third place, beating Manchester United 2-1.
Rogers curved in a beautiful shot just before halftime, putting Villa ahead. Not long after, Matheus Cunha levelled the score.
But Villa's main guy came through again, regaining the lead with another terrific goal just before the hour mark.
This win keeps them in the running as surprise challengers for the Premier League title. They're only three points behind Arsenal, who are currently leading.
Plus, Villa is seven points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, who are in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
It was also Villa's tenth straight home win in all competitions, a historic achievement led by head coach Emery.
Aston Villa's Perfect Ten:
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United - Premier League - December 21
Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal - Premier League - December 6
Aston Villa 3-0 Wolves - Premier League - November 30
Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys—Europa League—November 27
Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth - Premier League - November 9
Aston Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv - Europa League - November 6
Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City - Europa League - October 26
Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley - Premier League - October 5
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham - Premier League - September 28
Aston Villa 1-0 Bologna - Europa League - September 25
Villa had a great run of ten home wins in a row under the Spaniard from March to September 2023.
Emery is now only the second manager in Villa's history to have two separate streaks of ten home wins.
He joins George Ramsay, who had five different streaks like this between 1888 and 1905.
Rogers was definitely the man of the match, scoring his sixth and seventh goals of the season during this tenth straight victory.
The former Manchester City academy player gave United's defence lots of trouble throughout the game.
If he keeps going like this, Thomas Tuchel will probably pick him for the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
But winning with Villa is his main focus as they keep fighting Arsenal and City for the title.
Can Villa Actually Win It All?
Villa didn't seem to be doing so well at the beginning of the season, not winning any of their first six matches in all competitions.
They only scored one goal in their first five league matches, but things have really changed since then.
Now in third place, Villa has a good chance to upset everyone and be a serious contender for the Premier League title.
Emery's team has already beaten title rivals Arsenal and City, but they still have to play at Arsenal and City's grounds.
They're going to Arsenal on December 30, three days after playing Chelsea away from home.
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are their first two opponents in 2026, followed by an FA Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa will also play their final two Europa League league phase matches in January as they try to do well in every competition this season.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.