Aston Villa: Premier League title dreams are over, as Unai Emery attempts to salvage the hopes of the top five

Villa are fortunate that others have faltered sooner and longer this season – ensuring they maintain their grip on third place so far.

Chelsea lost 17 points from the winning positions at Stamford Bridge and 19 points overall in the English Premier League this season.

They go to Arsenal on Sunday hoping to capitalize on Villa’s latest misstep – before traveling to Villa Park on Wednesday for a match that could define both teams’ seasons.

Lille, in the Europa League on March 12, and a trip to Old Trafford on March 15 will be big for Villa.

Individual form has also dipped, with Ollie Watkins scoring just one goal in 11 games – reminiscent of the period when he scored just one goal in his first 19 games – while Morgan Rogers is on a similar streak.

The slump has been sparked by injuries to Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans last month as Villa’s lack of depth was exposed.

The players bickered among themselves, with Ezri Konsa – who also had a flashpoint with fans at the end – and Amado Onana urging Eme Buendia to leave the field faster when he was substituted.

Cracks are starting to appear, and even players admit they are feeling the pressure.

“It weighs on us, but it doesn’t have to be,” Rogers said. “We deserve to be here and we must not forget that.

“Our run recently hasn’t been as good as usual but that’s the battle of the Premier League. We’ll get back to our good winning streak.

“We set high standards and have the ability to win every game. Obviously this is not realistic but overall we are playing good football and there is nothing to worry about.”

“they [the next fixtures] “They are games you want to play, and with so much at stake, we need to show why we deserve to be where we are.”