Aston Villa have been relegated to English football’s second tier for the first time since 1987 after defeat at Manchester United. European Cup winners in 1982, Aston Villa have a proud history which was the message on display by its fans on match day but the club is facing a turbulent immediate future. The roadmap is clearly unknown for a club which was once relegated to the old second division but immediately returned under Graham Taylor and finished second in the top flight the following season.
New kid on the block Marcus Rashford scored the only goal, sliding Antonio Valencia’s cross through goalkeeper Brad Guzan’s legs.
It was a ninth straight loss for the visitors and left them 15 points from safety with only four matches left.
Caretaker manager Eric Black has spoken of the danger of the club falling into “anarchy” at the end of a miserable campaign played out against the backdrop of fan protests against Randy Lerner’s ownership.
Aston Villa caretaker manager Eric Black captured the mood after the match: “It’s a mood of disappointment. What I will say is today I thought [the Villa players] were outstanding – energy levels, desire to stick to the plan”.
