Aston Villa broke a club record that stretches back 111 years, providing further evidence that they could be serious contenders in the Premier League title race.
The Midlands side were 2-1 winners in Braga on Thursday, with Evann Guessand and Youri Tielemans on the scoresheet.
Boss Unai Emery, who has been linked with Real Madrid, has steered his side to the top of the Europa League table.
Aston Villa win eight in a row
That winning run, which started with a 2-0 victory over Tel-Aviv at the beginning of November, is the club’s longest since 1914 when they won 11 consecutive games.
They’ve thrashed Bournemouth, secured an impressive away win at Brighton and most notably, picked up three points against Arsenal last weekend.
It’s an incredible run inspired by Emery, who has turned his side into a top-flight force.
It’s far from uncommon for clubs competing in Europe to see their league form decline as they struggle to juggle the demanding fixture schedule.
That’s no problem for Emery, whose four Europa League winners’ medals are evidence that he knows exactly how to combat the rigours of an intense fixture list.
Aston Villa will have every reason to believe this run can continue.
They travel to relegation-threatened West Ham on the weekend. Boss Nuno Espirito Santo have made them harder to beat, having lost one in their last five, but they are still devoid of quality.
Villa then host an inconsistent Manchester United side, looking to maintain their imperious form at home.
Eight wins in a row. 14 wins in 16 games.
Aston Villa just can’t stop winning at the moment 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/wb836wb82j
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) December 11, 2025
Can Aston Villa win the Premier League?
The simple answer is yes, but maintaining consistency will be their biggest challenge.
They currently sit in third, three points adrift of Arsenal at the top and one behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Villa have the fourth-best defensive record in the league, but Emery may look at his strike force as a potential hurdle to winning the title.
Their 22 goals in the eighth-best in the league, while their xG rank puts them in 14th. They’ve also created 27 big chances – the 12th highest in the Premier League.
Donyell Malen is the club’s top goalscorer on four, while main man Ollie Watkins has struggled to replicate the deadly form he has shown in previous campaigns.
He scored 27 in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign, 17 last season, but has just three in 22 matches this time around.
If Villa narrowly miss out on the title, they will curse their slow start.
They failed to score in any of their first four matches and failed to win their first five Premier League matches.
Now they’re one of the most in-form teams across Europe, but time will tell whether they can maintain the results over the duration.
