The incredible Premier League table since Aston Villa appointed Unai Emery

Only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have taken more points than Aston Villa since Unai Emery was appointed Steven Gerrard’s successor back in November 2022.

Emery, who left La Liga outfit Villarreal to take the job at Villa Park, has made an exceptional start to the job. The Spanish coach has masterminded 20 wins and just eight defeats from his 32 Premier League matches in charge of the club.

When Gerrard was sacked last October, Villa were languishing near the relegation zone, having won just two of their opening 11 matches.

“It didn’t end well for him at Arsenal but I still don’t think you can poke holes in his pedigree. You’re talking about a guy who’s won the Europa League four times. I think he’s a really, really good coach,” former Villa striker Darren Bent told talkSPORT when asked about the appointment of Emery.

“He had the whole Ozil situation to deal with as well which went against him. I don’t think you win the trophies that he’s won if you’re not a good coach.

“You can say what you want about his time at Arsenal, but it was always going to be hard coming in after Arsene Wenger. I think it’s the right appointment. I’d say I’m excited about it.”

Bent’s optimism has since been vindicated. The club have dramatically shot up the table then, with results under Emery seeing the club emphatically out of the relegation conversation.

Villa finished last season in seventh position, securing a place in the Europa Conference League and the club’s first continental football since 2010.

The one low point so far came with a last-gasp 2-1 defeat at home to Stevenage in the FA Cup, but Emery’s side responded admirably with back-to-back league wins over Leeds United and Southampton and have maintained their excellent 2023 since.

To illustrate how good the results have been under Emery, take a look at how the Premier League table shapes up since he was appointed at the start of November last year.

Note: all teams have played 32 games unless otherwise specified.

1. Manchester City – 78 points, GD +47 (played 33)
2. Arsenal – 70 points, GD +35 (played 33)
3. Liverpool – 67 points, GD +29 (played 34)
4. Aston Villa – 62 points, GD +21
5. Manchester United – 60 points, GD +10 (played 33)
6. Newcastle United – 59 points, GD +33
7. Brighton – 59 points, GD +20 (played 33)
8. Tottenham – 51 points, GD +6
9. Brentford – 50 points, GD +15 (played 31)
10. Fulham – 41 points, GD -3 (played 31)
11. Crystal Palace – 40 points, GD -6 (played 33)
12. West Ham United – 39 points, GD -8
13. Wolves – 38 points, GD -19
14. Nottingham Forest – 36 points, GD -10 (played 31)
15. Bournemouth – 29 points, GD -28
16. Chelsea – 28 points, GD -12
17. Everton – 26 points, GD -28

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