Aston Villa in Champions League for the first time

Tottenham lost the 34th round of the tournament, so they could not close the gap of five points with fourth-placed Aston Villa, with only one round left. Therefore, Unai Emery's team is sure to be in the Top 4, and will play in the Champions League next season. Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou's team cannot play in the Champions League, and is not even sure of a place in the Europa League.

The Aston Villa squad gathered at their base, dressed in suits, to watch the Tottenham game. When the final whistle blew, the players jumped for joy and poured water bottles over each other. This was their highest Premier League finish since 1995-96, but the fourth-placed team did not qualify for the European Cup.

Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1982, their first appearance, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal from Peter Withe, who later coached Thailand and Indonesia. The following season, they were knocked out by Juventus in the quarter-finals, the last time the team played in Europe's most prestigious tournament.

Since 1992, the European Cup has been renamed the Champions League with a new format. Next season can be considered the first time Aston Villa will participate in the tournament. They will represent English football and go straight to the group stage, along with Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Aston Villa’s success has been under Emery, who was appointed in October 2022 to replace Steven Gerrard. At that time, the team was only ranked 15th in the Premier League, but he took them to seventh place and qualified for the UEFA Conference League. This season, with more time to prepare, the Spaniard has helped the team make a miracle.

Tottenham need one more point in the final round to secure a place in the Europa League next season. Meanwhile, Newcastle, Chelsea and Man Utd are competing for the remaining European Cup spots. Man Utd can enter the Europa League if they beat Man City in the FA Cup final. If the "Red Devils" lose, Newcastle or Chelsea will have a chance to enter the Europa League.