Aston Villa and Burnley played out an entertaining draw at Turf Moor on Sunday, but Villa won’t be delighted with the result.
Jaidon Anthony gave already-relegated Burnley a shock early lead as they started well, but Villa grew into the game and finally got going before the break.
Ollie Watkins had a goal ruled out for a tight offside call, then moments later Ross Barkley flicked home a header from a wicked John McGinn corner to make it 1-1.
Villa pummeled Burnley and eventually they went ahead through Ollie Waktins early in the second half, but two minutes later Zian Flemming made it 2-2.
With the draw Villa remain in fifth place, with a top five spot close to being guaranteed with two games to go.
Burnley’s draw was a brave result under interim boss Mike Jackson, but they have won just once in their last 27 Premier League games and can’t wait for the season to end as they aim to bounce back from relegation for the third time in a row as they’ve become a true yo-yo club.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has been speaking after the draw and he has praised his team for going for the win.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Emery said the following about the display and said it’s difficult for Liverpool, Villa and Bournemouth as they all chase Champions League equalization late in the season.
“It was a fantastic performance. I’m very happy with how they competed to try and get the three points. We conceded three clear chances and they scored two goals - we have to avoid these situations.
“I’m happy how we are competing in two competitions. It’s not easy to compete in the Premier League but we’re in the top-five and that’s fantastic.”
“Some players were very tired today but the commitment was fantastic. They ambition and mentality to play on Thursday and again here is fantastic. We are not consistent like at the start of the season but the league is 38 matches.”
Anthony’s been very good and he starts this move, but it’s Zian Flemming who delivers the goods off a Hannibal Mejbri flick.
His prolonged slump seems a thing of the past now.
Watkins does a lot of work after Emiliano Martinez sends one from his own end, and Villa take the lead for the first time today.
After a slow start which saw Burnley go ahead, it’s been pretty much all Aston Villa since then.
Unai Emery has been snarling and snapping on the sidelines. He demands more from his players.
They look very likely to go on and win this and have so many superb options on the bench.
Let’s see if Burnley can hang on to what they have but it is going to be a tall order.
Still, this is a much tougher test for Villa than everyone expected.
That goal was coming. Ross Barkley equalizes.
A corner to the near post is a beauty and Barkley flicks home to make it 1-1.
Right before half time. Burnley just couldn’t hold on.
Villa are flying now and surely there is only going to be one winner from here...
Well, it looked like Villa had equalized... but it has been ruled out for offside by VAR.
The ball ricocheted around at the back and falls straight to Villa.
A cross is whipped to the back post by Rogers and Watkins heads home, but VAR checks the goal and his toes on his right foot were offside.
No goal.
Villa are really piling on the pressure now and a cross to the back post is worked back in to Ross Barkley.
He’s free, six yards out, but somehow he scuffs his effort wide.
That is a big opportunity for Villa. Barkley knows it. His reaction tells you everything you need to know. He’s not happy with himself.
It is all Villa now and McGinn is getting on the ball and making things happen.
Rogers is picking up the ball a lot too and Burnley are dropping deeper and deeper.
Villa are in the groove now.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is not a happy camper, and why should he be?
His side have looked really sluggish early on at Burnley and are playing like they have their flip flops on.
Emery went pretty strong with his starting lineup, which was a bit of a surprise, and he will want to see plenty more from his star attackers.
Waktins, Rogers and McGinn are struggling to get into the game.
Who saw that coming? Burnley are ahead against Aston Villa and Jaidon Anthony is the main man.
The winger is first to react after Martinez parried a shot from Ugochukwu straight back out.
Anthony has now scored eight Premier League goals this season. That is a pretty decent return for him in a struggling side.
BURNLEY?! 🍿
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 10, 2026
The already-relegated Burnley LEAD a towering Aston Villa inside 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/D2Lf4Nha8A
There is some intriguing team news as the Burnley vs Aston Villa starting lineups have been confirmed.
Burnley starting lineup
Weiss; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Pires; Florentino, Ugochukwu; Tchaouna, Hannibal, Anthony; Flemming
Plenty of opportunities for Burnley’s starters to show they can be key members of the squad next season in the Championship. Up top Flemming is a real handful, while Hannibal will be lively breaking forward from midfield.
Aston Villa starting lineup
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Lindelof, Tielemans; McGinn, Barkley, Rogers; Watkins
This is a little surprising from Unai Emery, as Konsa, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers and Watkins all start. It felt like a few of those players, especially in attack, would have been rested. But maybe Emery wants to keep them flowing and in a good rhythm together ahead of the Europa League final?
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Burnley vs Aston Villa, as Villa are flying high after reaching the Europa League final a few days ago.
Managerless Burnley continue to prepare for life back in the Championship next season as their relegation has looked pretty certain for some time now.
In theory this should be a very easy win for Villa and Unai Emery will have the opportunity to rotate and rest a few players ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday, May 20
But there are always some weird results at this time of the season...
Here is all of the information you need to watch Burnley vs Aston Villa live in the USA, as Villa will look to secure a big win at Turf Moor to all but guarantee UEFA Champions League qualification.
How to watch Burnley vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday
Venue: Turf Moor — Burnley, Lancashire
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock
With Aston Villa leaving it all out there in the Europa League semifinal on Thursday, you can expect quite a few regulars to be rested at Burnley.
Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne are all likely to be on the bench, with Villa boss Emery criticized by many for resting so many players in their league defeat to Spurs last weekend.
But with Villa’s status in the top five of the Premier LEague pretty close to being secured, all of their focus will now be on making sure their top players are well rested for the Europa League final.
With 10 days to go until that final, we can expect to see the likes of Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Ross Barkley, Ian Maatsen, Tyrone Mings and Victor Lindelof all rolled out to start at Turf Moor.
With a third relegation in the last five years confirmed, what next for Burnley?
Scott Parker has left and they have a big decision to make about their next manager.
Burnley want to shake off their tag as yo-yo club and they will be extremely disappointed with the way this season panned out after a bright start. They signed more experienced players this season with Armando Broja, Kyle Walker, Martin Dubravka, James Ward-Prowse and Axel Tuanzebe coming in. But the end result was the same.
They will of course be one of the favorites to get promoted straight back to the Premier League next season, and with so much of their squad likely to stick around that will be a big help.
But how do they break the yo-yo cycle? That is the question Burnley haven’t been able to answer in recent years and they may have to change their model drastically if they want to come up next season and then stay up for at least a few years.
