The 2020-21 season was Aston Villa's 26th season in the Premier League. The 2020–21 Premier League season was Villa's 146th season in English football. It was the club's 107th season at the top flight. In addition to the domestic league, Aston Villa participated in the EFL Cup, being eliminated by Stoke City in the fourth round, and participated in the FA Cup, being eliminated by Liverpool in the third round.
The entire season took place against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the players' compliance with strict restrictions on contact as well as a lack of fans at all Villa's home matches until the final day of the campaign.
Villa started the season with four successive league wins, matching a record which had stood since the 1930-31 season. Other notable statistics included inflicting a 7-2 victory over defending champions Liverpool, the most goals conceded in a single game by a defending champion since 1953.
Pre-season
On 25 August 2020, it was revealed that Aston Villa's first pre-season friendly would be against Bristol City. However, the location, kick off time and score would not be publicised until the match was finished.
August
September
October
Competitions Overview
Premier League
Matches The 2020–21 season fixtures were released on 20 August 2020. The 2020–21 season officially began on 12 September 2020. However, clubs who had participated in the latter rearranged knockout rounds of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League competitions in August 2020 were allowed a further week to rest and prepare their squads for the new season. Villa's match away to Manchester City, originally scheduled for gameweek 1, was therefore postponed until later in the season, and Villa instead started their campaign on the following Monday night at home to Sheffield United. The Man City away fixture was eventually rearranged for 20 January 2021.
On 1 December 2020, Villa's game at home to Newcastle United scheduled for 4 December 2020 was postponed following a Premier League Board meeting. Newcastle lodged a request with the Premier League to rearrange the fixture following an increase in positive SARS-CoV-2 test results received by the club the previous day, on top of four positive cases reported on 27 November 2020 for one non-playing staff and three first team players. The Board agreed to rearrange the game as a safety precaution. The match was subsequently rescheduled for 23 January 2021.
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
FA Cup
Aston Villa joined the FA Cup along with all other Premier League teams in the third round. The third round draw was made on 30 November 2020, by Robbie Savage on the BT Sport YouTube channel. In the week building up to their third round tie against Liverpool, there was a "significant" COVID-19 outbreak at Villa's Bodymoor Heath Training Ground. Because of this, the entire Aston Villa first team was forced to self-isolate, as well as Dean Smith and his backroom staff. On the morning of 8 January 2021, Aston Villa confirmed that they would be forced to field a team made up of players from the Under-18s and Under-23s squads, managed by Mark Delaney.
EFL Cup
Aston Villa joined the EFL Cup in the second round. The second and third round draws were made on 6 September 2020, by Phil Babb on Sky Sports. The fourth round draw was made on 17 September 2020, also on Sky Sports.
Squad
Transfers Transfers in Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.21 July 2020CBAaron O'Reilly St Patrick's AthleticUndisclosed3 August 2020CBSil Swinkels VitesseFree Transfer16 August 2020GKOliwier Zych Zagłębie LubinUndisclosed19 August 2020CMBen Chrisene Exeter City£440,0001 September 2020CFRuben Shakpoke Norwich CityUndisclosed3 September 2020RBMatty Cash Nottingham Forest£14,000,0009 September 2020CFOllie Watkins Brentford£28,000,00011 September 2020CMLamare Bogarde FeyenoordUndisclosed15 September 2020GKEmiliano Martínez Arsenal£17,000,00019 September 2020FWBertrand Traoré Lyon£17,000,000 26 January 2021 CM Morgan Sanson Marseille £14,000,000
Transfers out Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref. 1 July 2020 CF Borja Bastón Leganés Released 1 July 2020 RB Isaiah Bazeley-Graham Barwell Released 1 July 2020 DM Jack Birch Alvechurch Released 1 July 2020 CB James Chester Stoke City Released 1 July 2020 CM Jake Doyle-Hayes St Mirren Released 1 July 2020 FW Andre Green Sheffield Wednesday Released 1 July 2020 CF Rushian Hepburn-Murphy Pafos Released 1 July 2020 FW Anton Hooper Free agent Released 1 July 2020 LW Colin Odutayo Free agent Released 1 July 2020 AM Callum O'Hare Coventry City Released 1 July 2020 GK Matija Sarkic Wolverhampton Wanderers Released 1 July 2020 CF Dimitri Sea Barrow Released 1 July 2020 GK Jamie Searle Swansea City Released 1 September 2020 RB James Bree Luton Town Undisclosed 16 September 2020 CF Scott Hogan Birmingham City Undisclosed 3 October 2020AMJota AlavésFree Transfer5 October 2020GKØrjan Nyland Norwich CityReleased29 January 2021CMHenri Lansbury Bristol CityReleased
Loans in Date from Position Nationality Name From Until Ref.30 September 2020CMRoss Barkley ChelseaEnd of season
Loans out Date from Position Nationality Name To Until Ref. 24 August 2020 CM Jack Clarke Yeovil Town 5 January 2021 17 September 2020 FW Indiana Vassilev Burton Albion 29 January 2021 25 September 2020 CF Mbwana Samatta Fenerbahçe End of season 25 September 2020 GK Viljami Sinisalo Ayr United 8 April 2021 2 October 2020 CF Cameron Archer Solihull Moors End of season 7 October 2020 AM Ben Guy Portadown End of season 16 October 2020 RB Jake Walker Alvechurch 8 January 2021 20 October 2020 CM Lewis Brunt Gloucester City 3 January 2021 5 January 2021 CM Jack Clarke Chesterfield End of season 13 January 2021 RW Tyreik Wright Walsall End of season 15 January 2021 CB Dominic Revan Weymouth 26 April 2021 16 January 2021 LB Callum Rowe Hereford End of season 18 January 2021GKLovre Kalinić Hajduk SplitEnd of season19 January 2021CMConor Hourihane Swansea CityEnd of season 29 January 2021 LW Indiana Vassilev Cheltenham Town End of season 31 January 2021 RB Frédéric Guilbert Strasbourg End of season
Appearances and goals
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred or loaned out during the season
+Disciplinary RecordsPlayerPositionPremier LeagueEFL CupFA CupOtherTotalYRYRYRYRYR Douglas LuizCM8100000081 Matty CashRB6100000061 Tyrone MingsCB4100000041 Ollie WatkinsCF2100000021 John McGinnCM120000000120 Matt TargettLB7000000070 Jack GrealishCAM6000000060 Ezri KonsaCB3000000030 Marvelous NakambaCM3000000030 Morgan SansonCM3000000030 Ahmed ElmohamadyRB2000000020 Anwar El GhaziLW2000000020 Jacob RamseyCM0020000020 Kortney HauseCB2000000020 Bertrand TraoréFW1000000010 Emiliano MartínezGK1000000010 Keinan DavisCF0010000010 Neil TaylorLB1000000010TOTAL614300000644 Based on matches played until 23 May 2021 +Top ScorersPlayerPositionPremier LeagueEFL CupFA CupOtherTotalGoalsAssistsGoalsAssistsGoalsAssistsGoalsAssistsGoalsAssists Ollie WatkinsCF147200000167 Anwar El GhaziLW100100000110 Bertrand TraoréFW7610000086 Jack GrealishCAM610100000710 John McGinnCM3600000036 Ross BarkleyCM3100000031Own goalN/A3000000030 Keinan DavisCF1111000022 TrézéguetLW2101000022 Tyrone MingsCB2200000022 Ezri KonsaCB2000000020 Conor HourihaneCM1100000011 Louie BarryCF0000100010 Kortney HauseCB1000000010 Douglas LuizCM0201000003 Matt TargettLB0200000002 Matty CashRB0200000002 Callum RoweLB0000010001 Henri LansburyCM0001000001 Jacob RamseyCM0001000001 Neil TaylorLB0001000001TOTAL55416611006248 Based on matches played until 23 May 2021
Notes
References
External links