Present, AV's Fight at the Top

Aston Villa's dream run of 13 unbeaten matches in the English Premier League came to an abrupt end at the hands of their closest rival Chelsea. The 1-0 loss tonight meant that AV had dropped to 4th, 1 point behind current 3rd-placed Chelsea.

AV's incredible form of 13 unbeaten matches could only be matched by leaders Manchester United, taking them to 3rd place prior to this match. With a small squad size and limited funding, AV has surprised many and has been dubbed the team to break into the Big 4 clubs.

Many teams had clung on to the 4th spot at this point of the season, the most notable being Everton who claimed 4th spot ahead of Liverpool during the 04-05 season and Tottenham Hotspur who held on until the last round of games when Arsenal snatched it during the 06-07 season. I believe AV can cling on to the 4th and last spot for Champions League qualification despite tonight's loss. As of now, they are still 4 points ahead of 5th-placed Arsenal with 12 games to go. With only the Premier League to worry about, I believe they can go the distance against the Big 4 clubs who have the Champions League to worry about.

Go Aston Villa!