Unai Emery insisted it was too soon to call his Aston Villa side Premier League title contenders after a 1-0 win over Manchester City lifted them above the defending champions and into third place.

Leon Bailey’s deflected strike in the 74th minute proved to be the winner as Villa equalled a club record with a 14th consecutive home victory.

Pep Guardiola said Villa could “definitely” be among those still in the fight come the end of the season but Emery insisted they still have much work to do to catch up with the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

“We are not contenders,” he said.

“There are seven teams who are contenders more than us. Now we are on game 15. We are going to play game 16 on Saturday against Arsenal and we are going to focus on it. We are happy to be third but to keep it is going to be very, very difficult.

“While we are there we are going to try to keep it. If we keep progressing during the season, playing matches and winning like we are doing maybe we can be a contender but I think we need more time.

“We can believe but we are not contenders. There are another seven teams and that didn’t change. It is game 15. Maybe by game 30 or 32, but not yet.”

The win gave Emery his first over Guardiola as a rival coach at the 14th attempt, 15 years to the day since they first came up against one another.

“Always I like to prepare matches against the best teams, the best players and the best coaches,” Emery said.

“When you are playing in a high level the opponents are of a high level. But beating him for me is not something special. It is really a process I am doing as a coach.”

Defeat left City winless in their last four league matches, down in fourth place and six points off the pace of leaders Arsenal.

Guardiola said the credit belonged to Villa on the night but admitted he had much to think about to get their title defence back on track.

“The better team won,” Guardiola said.

“Aston Villa was better than us. We struggled. It was really difficult. They are well organised, fast and physical players, they are able to control many aspects. That is the reason why they are up there. They played good football and we could not do it.

“It is my duty, it is my job to find a way to come back. Many years now we are together we found a way, we are able to find a way to win games, to find a way to do it.

“Now that we are struggling we have to change the dynamic, win as soon as possible, Luton, Crystal Palace, to change our mind and continue to win there.”

The absence of the suspended Rodri was again telling. This was the fourth match of the season the Spain midfielder has missed through a ban – and City have lost all four.

While there are other key players out – Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku and of course Kevin De Bruyne – City’s reliance on their midfield holder is obvious.

“Without Rodri we could not win against Liverpool and Spurs, of course Rodri is so important but when Rodri is not there we have to find a way to do it,” Guardiola said.

“Today is simple, the better team won, you have to accept it. In football it happens. I said (to the players), ‘I know you tried, I know you want it, you have proven it to me many many times’.

“Now the results are not good, that’s why I have to see the games, reflect, and see how we try to do it.”

Leon Bailey fired Aston Villa to a 1-0 win over Manchester City which equalled a club record with a 14th consecutive home victory and lifted them above the stuttering champions into third place in the Premier League.

Bailey’s 74th-minute strike came thanks to a deflection off Ruben Dias but few inside Villa Park cared amid jubilant celebrations.

Unai Emery’s first career win over Pep Guardiola in 14 attempts came in his 50th match in charge of Villa, a side he has transformed from relegation battlers to top-four contenders in the space of a year.

For City it was yet another sign of their over-reliance on the suspended Rodri. They are unbeaten in their last 43 matches in which the Spain midfielder has played, but their four defeats this season have all come when he has been serving a ban.

With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku also missing through suspension and injury respectively, Guardiola was forced into a midfield that included two defenders, John Stones and Rico Lewis, with another, Manuel Akanji, pushing forward.

Villa knew they could get at such an imbalanced City side and did so from the start.

City’s lack of fluidity only encouraged a Villa side already high on confidence in front of their own fans and they were all over the champions in the first half, beating the high line with regularity as Ederson was forced into early saves to deny Bailey and Pau Torres.

At the other end, Erling Haaland was denied twice in quick succession by Emiliano Martinez in the 11th minute. Villa’s World Cup winner pushed his low shot to one side and then, when Bernardo Silva picked up the rebound to cross, recovered to palm his close-range header to safety.

But that was a rare foray forward for City, who struggled to get out of their own half as Villa repeatedly picked off the ball, having 13 shots at goal in the first half alone.

They thought they had their reward on the stroke of half time. After Ederson pushed Ollie Watkins’ shot to the side, Lucas Digne stretched to cross and Douglas Luiz headed in, but the flag went in with the ball narrowly out of play.

Stones dropped back into a more conventional position to start the second half and City began to pop the ball around with something approaching their usual confidence, but without getting a sight of goal.

Instead it was Villa who threatened just after the hour mark. Bailey pounced on a loose pass from Silva and played a sweeping ball to John McGinn, who cut inside but saw his shot bounce the wrong side of the post.

City were once again struggling to get out of their own half, and Guardiola responded by sending on midfield reinforcements in Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes for Lewis and Julian Alvarez, with Oscar Bobb replacing Foden soon after.

But Bobb had barely come on to the pitch when Villa took the lead. Bailey cut inside and left Josko Gvardiol behind far too easily, then checked his run on the edge of the box to hit a right-footed shot which deflected off Dias to beat Ederson.

Five minutes later, Luiz almost scored against his former club as Watkins’ shot was deflected up in the air and he pounced on the rebound to force a fine save from Ederson.

Luiz was denied again in the 86th minute when his curling shot bounced back off the post, but City had no response as their winless league run stretched to four, something which last happened in 2017.

For Villa it was a 23rd home win of the calendar year. They can match a top-flight club record that dates back to 1931 when Arsenal visit on Saturday.

What the papers say

Bayern Munich will face stiff competition in their pursuit off Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28. The Daily Telegraph reports at least two Premier League sides are watching the Portuguese player ahead of the January transfer window.

Arsenal are eyeing a move for Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz, according to The Sun via Turkish-Football. The 18-year-old moved from Bayern Munich in the summer and earned his first Turkish call-up in October.

Jadon Sancho remains on course for a January exit from Manchester United. The Daily Mirror reports the England winger, 23, is “training like a beast” to prepare for the transfer window.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Douglas Luiz: Aston Villa have put a £110million price tag on the midfielder to fend off interest, according to Football Transfers with Arsenal leading the pursuers.

Samuel Iling-Junior: Tottenham and Newcastle are interested in the English winger, 20, with Juventus making him available, according to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb.

Unai Emery saluted Ollie Watkins after he scored a superb 90th-minute equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

Watkins was facing backwards when he nodded in substitute Moussa Diaby’s cross as Villa twice came from behind to rescue a share of the spoils.

Villa boss Emery said: “He’s strong. When he’s feeling good physically he can play matches in a row like we are playing.

“It’s a very good point. I am very happy with the performance.

“We have to build a team and I am trying to give everyone chances.

“They have to feel important and playing with personality and get stronger, not only the first 11 but the squad.”

Bournemouth took the lead in the 10th minute through a neat finish from Antoine Semenyo after Diego Carlos was too casual playing out from the back and passed the ball straight to Ryan Christie.

Villa drew level in the 20th minute as Leon Bailey picked up possession on the right wing before cutting in on his left foot and curling into the far corner.

Solanke restored Bournemouth’s advantage seven minutes into the second half as he fired Bournemouth back in front with his seventh goal of the season after turning away from Pau Torres and rifling home.

Emi Martinez then denied Solanke from point blank range before Villa substitute Jhon Duran hit the post with a deflected shot.

But just as Bournemouth looked to be holding out for the win, up stepped the in-form Watkins to bag his 13th goal of the season.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola saluted top-scorer Solanke, but was frustrated his side could not hold out for a third straight Premier League win.

Iraola said: “It is a hard one to take because before for the game you would take a point against Villa, but considering how the team played and the chances we had we cannot be happy.

“In the end we could not score the third goal even though we had clear chances and we also have to congratulate their goalkeeper who made two or three spectacular saves.

“After the start of the season we needed to improve and we’ve been doing that.

“We are understanding each other better and the players are physically in a good place. It is obvious we are playing better than we were.

“They are winning duels against tough opposition, but we have to continue because this is a good level from us and it’s only enough for one point.

“At this moment in time it is a matter of improving collectively. Today Dom scored one very good goal with good movement from a number nine and he had two very close chances, but their goalkeeper was amazing.

“He read the situations very well and he has had three or four very clear chances, which is a good sign for the team for him personally. I hope he continues at this level.”

Ollie Watkins came up with a sensational and dramatic 90th-minute equaliser as Aston Villa came from behind twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

Villa looked to be heading for a shock defeat on the south coast until Watkins pounced on substitute Moussa Diaby’s cross to score his 13th goal of the season with a terrific backwards header.

The hosts, who had won three of their previous four matches, started brightly and took a deserved lead in the 10th minute, with a little bit of help from Villa defender Diego Carlos.

Carlos was too casual playing out from the back and passed the ball straight to Ryan Christie who instinctively fed Antoine Semenyo to confidently pick out the bottom corner from 12 yards.

Semenyo came close to doubling the Cherries’ lead but his shot from a tight angle was kept out by a smart save from the legs from Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

Martinez’s opposite number Neto had already done well to turn behind Douglas Luiz’s 25-yard shot when Leon Bailey equalised with a superb solo goal in the 20th minute.

Watkins, who had come through a late fitness test, played the ball out to Bailey on the right wing and the Jamaica international danced into space inside the penalty area before curling home left-footed beyond the despairing Neto.

Villa thought they had taken the lead moments later when Carlos side-footed home from close range but the goal was rightly ruled out after a lengthy VAR review because Lucas Digne was offside in the build-up.

Semenyo, who was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for hauling down Bailey having already been booked, forced another excellent save from Martinez with a stinging shot across the face of goal after getting the better of make-shift right back Ezri Konsa.

Martinez was on hand again to claw out Dominic Solanke’s shot from point blank range when the Bournemouth striker looked certain to score from Christie’s cross as the teams went in level at half-time.

There was no denying Solanke seven minutes into the second half as he fired Bournemouth back in front with his seventh goal of the season.

Milos Kerkez broke well down the left before fizzing the pass into feet of Solanke, who pirouetted away from Pau Torres before blasting beyond Martinez.

Solanke had a golden chance to extend the lead in the 63rd minute but could not beat Martinez from four yards after Marcus Tavernier had carried the ball all the way from his own half to the edge of the Villa penalty area.

Villa substitute Jhon Duran was inches away from equalising 18 minutes from time when his deflected shot from the edge of the Bournemouth box struck the right-hand post.

But just as Bournemouth looked to be holding out for the win up stepped the in-form Watkins to salvage a share of the spoils.

Police have charged 46 men after Legia Warsaw supporters attacked police outside Villa Park in Birmingham on Thursday.

West Midlands Police said five officers, two police dogs and two police horses were injured when missiles were thrown by visiting fans during the Europa Conference League fixture.

In a statement confirming details of the charges, the force said 43 men have been charged with a public order offence, two with assaulting police officers and another with possession of a knife.

The statement added: “Those charged are aged between 21 and 63, and around 40 are believed to be from Poland. A small number are believed to be UK residents.

“All apart from one of the men is due in court today. He has been bailed to appear at a later date. A special court has been set up at Birmingham magistrates and will begin hearing the cases this morning.”

Officers are continuing to review CCTV and body-worn video footage to identify further suspects after “what was an appalling and violent public disorder”.

Two West Midlands Police officers, two from West Mercia and one from Derbyshire Police suffered minor injuries during the violence.

Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who is overseeing the criminal investigation, said: “Our investigation is very much continuing and we’ll be reviewing footage and speaking to witnesses over the coming days.

“To charge this number of people so soon after such a major disorder has taken a huge effort by staff who have been working around the clock.

“We’ve had a number of messages of thanks from the club and fans who were present on Thursday night and saw the policing operation first hand, and we are really grateful for that support.”

Police said fans of the Polish side were not allowed into the stadium after missiles were thrown at officers before the start of the match.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has called for European football chiefs to take “strong action” as he thanked the “brave officers” and criticised the “deeply unpleasant scenes”.

In a previous statement, Chief Inspector Tim Robinson said: “This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs. Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.”

He said the “extreme violence” left police with no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium, adding: “The safety of everyone is our priority and clearly we had no other option.”

Aston Villa have lodged an official complaint with UEFA over the behaviour of Legia Warsaw fans ahead of the Europa Conference League clash at Villa Park.

Almost 50 people were arrested following violence involving the visiting fans prior to kick-off on Thursday night.

Missiles were thrown at police as the Polish supporters were held in a coach park near the ground before they were due to enter the stadium.

West Midlands Police said four officers were injured and, although the game started on time, no Legia fans were allowed in ahead of kick-off.

Villa also accused Legia officials of a “complete lack of cooperation” with themselves, the police and UEFA.

Villa said in a statement: “Aston Villa can confirm it has lodged an official complaint with UEFA over the conduct of Legia Warsaw Football Club and the behaviour of their supporters prior to last night’s UEFA Europa Conference League match at Villa Park.

“Four police officers were injured and 46 Legia supporters arrested after unprecedented violence by the Polish fans outside the stadium.

“This shocking behaviour followed Legia club officials’ complete lack of cooperation with West Midlands Police, Aston Villa and UEFA throughout the day.

“It started during the standard pre-match operational meeting that commenced at 10.30am on Thursday morning and was attended by UEFA representatives, including UEFA’s security team, as well as West Midlands Police including representatives from both clubs.

“Legia Warsaw refused to confirm if they would accept their allocation of tickets for the match at that point. This is in stark contrast to normal UEFA operational procedures.

“They advised the meeting that they would meet with their supporters at 2.30pm and communicate the decision at 3pm, but advised there was a possibility that they would not accept the tickets.

“Despite repeated requests before and after the 3pm deadline for a decision, there was no communication until 4pm when Legia informed Aston Villa that they wished to receive their ticket allocation.

“These tickets were handed to Legia officials immediately upon their arrival at the stadium at 6.16pm. To reiterate, Legia officials were advised on a call that included a number of UEFA representatives on November 2 that they would receive an allocation of 1,002 – exactly four weeks prior to last night’s fixture.”

Chris Heck, president of business operations at Villa, said: “The lack of cooperation and prevarication from Legia Warsaw officials prior to the match was entirely unacceptable and deeply disappointing.

“This behaviour increased the danger that West Midlands Police officers and our own fans were subjected to before the game and the scenes of disorder from the Legia fans have no place in modern football or civilised society.

“Aston Villa will be making further representations to UEFA in order to ensure that other clubs and police forces across Europe are not exposed to similar serious safety risks at the hands of Legia Warsaw.

“We are immensely grateful to West Midlands Police for keeping our supporters and our local community safe last night and are pleased that they will also be making their own representations via the UK police authorities to UEFA.”

West Midlands Police chief inspector Tim Robinson said on Thursday evening: “This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs.

“Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.”

He said the “extreme violence” left police with no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium, adding: “The safety of everyone is our priority, and clearly we had no other option.”

Unai Emery takes Aston Villa to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to extend their equal best start to a Premier League season.

With 28 points from 13 games, the PA news agency looks at Villa’s form so far.

Champions League challenge

Villa’s 2-1 win over Tottenham last weekend lifted them into the top four, ahead of their opponents’ own impressive total of 26 points.

Their form means the Premier League has five teams averaging at least two points per game at this stage of the season for only the second time, following 2018-19 when Manchester City led the way with 35 points from a possible 39 and Arsenal sat fifth with 27.

Villa have only once previously had this many points from their first 13 Premier League games, in 1998-99.

John Gregory’s side were unbeaten in their first 12 games, winning eight and drawing four to top the table, before losing 4-2 to Liverpool. They went on to finish sixth in the table.

Emery’s Villa have bounced back impressively from their opening 5-1 loss to Newcastle and now have nine wins and three defeats to their name, scoring 31 goals and conceding 18 – the 1998-99 side had scored 20 at the same stage but let in only 10, even after the Liverpool match.

Emery renaissance

Villa’s resurgence under Emery dates back to last season, when he took over a team sitting a point above the relegation zone after three wins in 13 games under predecessor Steven Gerrard and lifted them to seventh place and qualification for the Europa Conference League.

He has won 30 of his 48 games in charge in all competitions, 62.5 per cent, with 13 losses and only five draws. His team have scored 94 goals and conceded 58.

Since Emery’s first game on November 1 last year, Villa rank fourth in the Premier League points table with 77 from 38 games – one match fewer than the other teams in the top five, and only two points behind third-ranked Liverpool. They are third for this calendar year, when their 22 Premier League wins are a club record.

Villa Park has become a fortress, with 13 consecutive home league wins marking their longest run of the Premier League era – they last won 13 straight home top-flight games back in 1983. They are also the league’s top scorers at home this season with 23 goals in six matches.

A high defensive line has played a role in Emery’s success, with Villa catching opponents offside 166 times since he took over. That is a remarkable 75 more than any other Premier League team, with Liverpool at 93 in that time, and more than double Fulham’s third-placed total of 82.

While seven goals are enough to make Ollie Watkins their top league goalscorer this season, Douglas Luiz is just behind with five and of their nine different scorers, all bar Jacob Ramsey have netted more than once.

More than 30 people have been arrested following violence from Legia Warsaw fans prior to their Europa Conference League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Missiles were thrown at police as the visiting fans were held in the coach park near the stadium, before they were due to enter for Thursday’s group game.

West Midlands Police said four officers were injured and although the game started on time, no Legia fans were allowed into the stadium ahead of kick-off.

The force said in a statement following the game that 39 people were arrested after the “disgusting and highly dangerous scenes”, with one of the injured police officers taken to hospital.

Two police horses and two police dogs were also hurt.

Chief Inspector Tim Robinson said: “This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs.

“Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.”

He said the “extreme violence” left police with no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium, adding: “The safety of everyone is our priority, and clearly we had no other option.”

Villa and West Midlands Police both released statements before the game had finished, with the Premier League club revealing requests to the Polish club before the tie for help in preventing ticketless fans from travelling went unanswered.

Villa said: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that no away fans were allowed into Villa Park for this evening’s UEFA Europa Conference League fixture with Legia Warsaw on the advice of West Midlands Police following large-scale disorder outside the stadium caused by visiting supporters.

“The UK safety authorities, UEFA and Aston Villa, communicated on November 2 that the ticket allocation for away fans for this fixture would be reduced to 1,002 on the advice of safety authorities as a result of previous large-scale disorder caused by Legia fans last month at AZ Alkmaar.

“A number of Dutch police officers were injured during that disorder. As a consequence, UEFA banned Legia supporters from travelling to Mostar for their game against HSK Zrinjski.

“In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club.

“The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with UEFA and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park.”

Villa said Legia fans “engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers” about an hour before kick-off.

The club added: “Aston Villa strongly condemns the behaviour of those visiting supporters and would like to thank West Midlands Police for their professionalism in very difficult circumstances.”

In its own pre-game statement, the Polish side accused Villa of restricting access to their fans in a move it called “counterproductive and baseless”.

It said senior executives, including the club’s owner, made the decision to boycott the game in response to the move.

Legia coach Kosta Runjaic refused to be drawn on the disorder in the post-match press conference.

He said: “I think its a different topic, it’s not my business. I’ve been in a big focus to lead the team. We represented Polish football in a good way, all other things outside the stadium I don’t want to comment.

“We have great fans, they support us home and away. We can always count on them. So far since I’ve been at Legia I’ve had a good experience with our fans. I don’t know the content of it all happening.

“I don’t know the details, which is why it’s better I don’t speak too much about it. Unfortunately our fans weren’t in the stadium and the atmosphere would have been better.

“It’s not about the fans, it’s a pity but we can’t change it.”

Unai Emery urged Aston Villa to finish the job after they booked their spot in the Europa Conference League knockout stages.

The manager wants to seal top spot in Group E following Thursday’s 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw.

Alex Moreno’s winner – on his first appearance since May following a hamstring injury – earned victory after Moussa Diaby’s opener was cancelled out by Ernest Muci in the first half.

Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police before the game – injuring three officers – which saw the supporters barred from Villa Park.

Villa moved above Legia at the top of the group and need a point in Mostar, the final group game, next month to guarantee their last 16 spot.

Emery said: “I’m really happy because we started this competition losing in Warsaw. We wanted to show how we have improved after that match and we played well.

“We were professional, feeling good, feeling strong and we want to finish first. It’s not complete yet but we are close to it.

“This competition is very important, it’s a trophy and trying to get minutes for some players. Alex Moreno has come back, Jacob Ramsey, Jhon Duran got 90 minutes and as a team we had to get performances with every player.”

Diaby struck after four minutes when he was sent scampering down the right by Youri Tielemans before cutting inside and finding the corner.

Jhon Duran went close to adding a second before Legia cashed in on a terrible error by Boubacar Kamara after 20 minutes.

The midfielder received the ball from Robin Olsen on the edge of the box but passed straight to Muci, who found the top corner.

Encouraged, Legia settled and went close three minutes into the second half when Gil Dias’ header hit the bar.

But it sparked Villa back into life and, after Kacper Tobiasz denied Diaby, Moreno netted a 59th-minute winner when he volleyed in Douglas Luiz’s free kick.

Legia, who beat Villa 3-2 in the opening game in September, are three points behind and are now facing a last 32 tie against a side dropping down from the Europa League in February.

Boss Kosta Runjaic said: “It’s the expected result but we faced it in a pretty good way. Villa have a lot of power at home and are unbeaten since February.

“The first half was equal, we tried to play with courage and scored a fantastic goal. Villa played a good game but we could have defended their free-kick better and in the end it was a deserved win for Villa.

“Now we have one game left, we will be well-prepared.”

Alex Moreno fired Aston Villa into the Europa Conference League knockout stages after a 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw.

The defender’s first goal, on his first appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, sent Unai Emery’s side top of Group E.

Moussa Diaby opened the scoring before Ernest Muci seized on Boubacar Kamara’s defensive gaffe to level.

Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police pre-match, launching missiles and injuring three officers to ensure there were no visiting supporters inside Villa Park.

Around 2,000 fans had gathered, despite Legia having a restricted allocation of 1,000 following supporters’ behaviour in Alkmaar, and were barred from entering the stadium, sparking a row between the clubs with both issuing statements criticising each other.

There was no love lost between the clubs, yet it was a fairly forgettable game.

Four years ago this week Villa boss Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal after overseeing their longest winless run since 1992.

He lasted just 18 months after replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates but recovered to win the Europa League with Villarreal, the fourth time he had lifted the trophy.

Having taken Villa back into Europe for the first time in 13 years, they reached the knockout stage of the newest competition with a game to spare, although need a point in Mostar in two weeks to book top spot.

Legia beat them 3-2 in Warsaw in the opening game in September, opening the scoring after just three minutes, but this time it took the hosts 60 seconds longer to take the lead.

Youri Tielemans sent Diaby clear down the right and with the freedom to cut inside, with Artur Jedrzejczyk rapidly backpedalling, he curled into the bottom corner.

Emery’s side went for the kill and Jhon Duran’s pace saw him tear past Steve Kapuadi and Jedrzejczyk, only to be denied by Kacper Tobiasz before Clement Lenglet nodded the resulting corner wide.

The hosts were in control – with no Legia fans in the stadium – but Villa Park was silenced after 20 minutes.

It was all of the hosts’ own making when Robin Olsen, handed a rare start, found Kamara on the edge of the area only for the midfielder to play a blind pass straight to Muci.

The Albania international, who scored twice against Villa in September, still had plenty to do but kept his cool to lift a fine effort over the stranded Olsen from the edge of the box.

With it, Villa lost their mojo and Legia flourished although it took until three minutes after the break for them to go close to adding a second.

Pawel Wszolek crossed and Gil Dias stooped to send a looping header onto the top of the bar with Olsen beaten.

The escape roused Villa and Tobiasz thwarted Diaby before Moreno grabbed the winner after 59 minutes.

The left back, making his first appearance since May, latched onto Douglas Luiz’s free-kick to hook in from close range.

From then, Villa saw the game out and could have even had a third with three minutes left when Leon Bailey hit the bar after lobbing Tobiasz.

Aston Villa have condemned the violence from Legia Warsaw fans which left police injured before their Europa Conference League game at Villa Park.

Missiles were thrown at police as the visiting fans were held in the coach park near the stadium, before they were due to enter for Thursday’s group game.

Three police officers were injured and although the game started on time, no Legia fans were allowed into the stadium ahead of kick-off.

Villa and West Midlands Police both released statements before the game had finished, with the Premier League club revealing requests to the Polish club before the tie for help in preventing ticketless fans from travelling went unanswered.

Villa said: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that no away fans were allowed into Villa Park for this evening’s UEFA Europa Conference League fixture with Legia Warsaw on the advice of West Midlands Police following large-scale disorder outside the stadium caused by visiting supporters.

“The UK safety authorities, UEFA and Aston Villa, communicated on November 2 that the ticket allocation for away fans for this fixture would be reduced to 1,002 on the advice of safety authorities as a result of previous large-scale disorder caused by Legia fans last month at AZ Alkmaar.

“A number of Dutch police officers were injured during that disorder. As a consequence, UEFA banned Legia supporters from travelling to Mostar for their game against HSK Zrinjski.

“In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club.

“The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with UEFA and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park.”

Villa said Legia fans “engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers” about an hour before kick-off.

The club added: “Aston Villa strongly condemns the behaviour of those visiting supporters and would like to thank West Midlands Police for their professionalism in very difficult circumstances.

A Birmingham Police statement on X, formerly Twitter, read: “We’re currently unable to allow away fans into Villa Park following disorder outside the stadium which has seen missiles thrown at officers.

“Three officers have already been injured & a significant policing operation continues. Please avoid Witton Lane where possible.”

Police have been injured after violence from Legia Warsaw fans ahead of their game at Aston Villa.

Missiles were thrown at police as the visiting fans were held in the coach park near Villa Park, before they were due to enter for the Europa Conference League game on Thursday.

Three police have been injured but the game will start on time, although no Legia fans have been allowed into the stadium ahead of kick-off.

A Birmingham Police statement on X, formerly Twitter, read: “We’re currently unable to allow away fans into Villa Park following disorder outside the stadium which has seen missiles thrown at officers.

“Three officers have already been injured & a significant policing operation continues. Please avoid Witton Lane where possible.”

What the papers say

Aaron Ramsdale will be allowed to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, but not before, according to The Sun via 90min. The England goalkeeper has been forced to play second fiddle at the Emirates to David Raya but the club do not want him to leave on loan in January.

An ankle injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, 26, could keep a couple of other midfielders at Tottenham. The Uruguayan is ruled out until at least February and the Daily Telegraph reports the club could reject moves for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 28, and Oliver Skipp, 23, in his absence.

Premier League clubs are keeping an eye on Mason Greenwood, 22, during his spell in Getafe, according to the Daily Mail via Spanish outlet AM. The Manchester United forward is on loan in Spain after charges against him including attempted rape and assault against him were dropped.

Chelsea have been overtaken in the race to sign Corinthians midfielder Gabriel Moscardo, according to The Standard. Paris St Germain have emerged as the favourites to capture the 18-year-old Brazilian.

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Leander Dendoncker: Everton are interested in Aston Villa’s Belgian midfielder, 28, according to Football Insider.

Jakub Kiwior: Injury-hit AC Milan are keen on a January loan move for Arsenal’s Polish defender, 23, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min admits recent defeats hurt but has urged the squad to keep playing the Ange Postecoglou way.

Aston Villa produced a comeback win in north London on Sunday to make it a November to forget for Spurs.

Premier League leaders at the start of the month, Tottenham have since suffered three consecutive losses and seen their list of absentees move into double figures.

Spurs went ahead against Villa, like they had in recent defeats to Chelsea and Wolves, but were wasteful in front of goal and also unable to keep up the relentless attacking style Postecoglou wants for the whole match.

“I think especially in this game, when you are 1-0 up, we have to control even more,” Son told SpursPlay.

“We have to respect the (opposition) and we made a couple of mistakes this season where we are going up 1-0 and started playing a little bit slowly.

“Then conceding goals, offsides, delays in the game, this is losing our game tempo a little bit and we are giving chances to Villa to come into the game.

“Before half-time when you concede a goal from a set-piece, I think we have to be more stronger.

“The players gave everything, especially in difficult circumstances. It is just tough to take.

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“It doesn’t matter how well you are playing, obviously in the end you are taking the results and we are talking about the results.

“Yeah, we created chances, good, very good. The way we are playing, I am very pleased and happy but it hurts when you lose a game, especially at home.

“We had such amazing support again and losing this game hurts.”

All the focus at Tottenham now turns to Sunday’s daunting trip to champions Manchester City and Rodrigo Bentancur is an early doubt after he sustained an ankle injury against Villa.

Bentancur made his first start since he suffered a serious knee injury in February and impressed before he was caught by a poor challenge from Matty Cash.

Spurs will have Yves Bissouma back from suspension and will check on Pape Sarr after he returned from Senegal national team duty with a knock, but Postecoglou knows he will be down to the bare bones for a while.

Tottenham boss Postecoglou said: “The reality of it is that we’re not going to get too many back.

“We’ll get Biss back but we might have lost Bentancur. We only had six or seven on the bench so everyone who is here at the moment is going to have to play a part.”

While Tottenham contemplate another defeat, Villa produced a clinical display to move up to fourth in the Premier League after goals by Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins, but Unai Emery played down the current table.

“Enjoy the position and of course the players are aware about where we are, but we will continue being demanding,” Emery said.

“In 38 matches, there are still a lot of things to happen.

“Now we have to rest and think about Thursday (against Legia Warsaw) and then Sunday against Bournemouth.”