Aston Villa have sacked Steven Gerrard after just under a year in charge following Thursday's 3-0 Premier League loss to Fulham.

The former Liverpool midfielder arrived last November to succeed Dean Smith, having previously guided Rangers to Scottish Premiership success the season before.

But a dismal start to the 2022-23 campaign that has seen just two top-flight wins in 11 games means he has been shown the door, with Villa perched just above the relegation zone on goals scored.

Gerrard's position was already uncertain heading into the encounter with Marco Silva's Cottagers.

But a horror-show performance – one that saw them concede a penalty, score an own goal and have a player sent off – meant there was little chance for a late reprieve.

"We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future," the club said in a brief statement.

Steven Gerrard remains adamant he is the right man to lead Aston Villa out of their poor run of form, declaring: "I'm capable of getting out of this".

With Villa languishing near the Premier League's relegation zone after winning just two of their first 10 games of the season, Gerrard's position as manager has been called into question.  

Ahead of their trip to Fulham on Thursday, Villa have won just one of their last eight league matches (D3 L4), only scoring five goals during that run.

Earlier this week, reports suggested Villa may make an audacious move for former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino if they opt to dispense with Gerrard's services, but the former Liverpool midfielder is determined to fight on. 

"I'm here to fight and to lead every single minute of every day, and I've got every confidence and belief in myself that I can change this situation," Gerrard said on Wednesday.

"I'm game for these periods because I believe and know I can get through them if I stay true to myself. I'll front this head on, I'm game for it and I'll show everyone that I'm capable of getting out of this.

"I accept how I'm getting judged right now, but there's no one on the planet more determined to change it than myself and that's all I need to focus on, which is the next three points."

Only Wolves (3.5 per cent) have a worse shot conversion rate than Villa in the Premier League this campaign (6 per cent), with Gerrard's team scoring just seven goals from 116 attempts.

Key to their struggles has been the poor form of Philippe Coutinho, who is yet to score this season, but Gerrard believes his former Liverpool team-mate will come good.

"The age he is at and the talent, I very much have full confidence and belief in Phil," Gerrard added. "Obviously the stats at the moment suggest that he's not in the best place or at his best, which we all understand.

"But we as a staff and me as his manager, will give him every bit of support he needs. You don't lose talent, you don't lose class. It's still there.

"Confidence and belief can change very quickly, so my opinion on Phil Coutinho won't ever change, because I see it on a daily basis. He's just got to replicate it in the games."

Mohamed Salah ended his Premier League goal drought by finding the net against Manchester City to move ahead of Steven Gerrard into second place in Liverpool's all-time list of scorers in the competition.

The Egypt international matched Gerrard's tally of 120 league goals for Liverpool in August's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, but he had gone five top-flight matches without scoring since then.

However, Salah raced clear of the City defence on Sunday to usurp Gerrard with his 121st goal and move to within seven strikes of matching Robbie Fowler's club-record haul of 128 in the Premier League.

Salah now has three goals in nine appearances in the competition this season and has scored at least 19 league goals in each of his five full seasons as a Liverpool player to date, meaning Fowler's record looks destined to fall in the near future.

When it does, it will represent the latest in a long series of landmark goalscoring achievements for the talismanic winger. 

Salah's 32 goals in 2017-18 remain the most scored by any player in a single Premier League campaign, and he has found the net at least 20 times in four separate seasons.

Liverpool have had a player reach that tally on 11 occasions throughout their Premier League history, with Salah responsible for twice as many instances as any other Reds player.

Meanwhile, Salah has overtaken Gerrard's tally despite the former captain playing over 300 more Premier League games than the 30-year-old, who was making his 189th league appearance for Liverpool in the meeting with Bournemouth. 

Mason Mount's double and a Kepa Arrizabalaga masterclass saw Chelsea beat Aston Villa 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run under Graham Potter.

Mount scored in each half of Sunday's Premier League encounter at Villa Park, yet Chelsea were fortunate to hold their advantage in-between thanks to a dynamite performance from their goalkeeper.

Kepa made a string of wonderful save before half-time, with his stop from a close-range Danny Ings header the highlight.

Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, will lament errors from Tyrone Mings and Kepa's opposite number Emiliano Martinez, though the pressure is growing on Villa's boss.

Mings made a mess of a clearance to gift Mount the chance to open the scoring six minutes in, with the playmaker calmly slotting past Martinez, but Chelsea had their backs to the wall for much of the first half.

Leon Bailey hit the crossbar with a header and Kepa came to Chelsea's salvation with a superb double save, keeping out John McGinn's strike before tipping Jacob Ramsey's follow-up onto the post.

Ings hit another rebound against the upright from an offside position in that flurry, and he was thwarted by Kepa 10 minutes later – the Spaniard acrobatically tipping the striker's header over.

Raheem Sterling hit the bar at the other end before the break, but any hope Villa had was extinguished when Mount's dipping long-range free-kick, conceded by Mings, dropped in over Martinez, who should have done far better.

A miserable day for Mings concluded with a calf injury, though he battled through to full time, which was greeted by jeers from the Villa fans that had not already made their exit.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has given his backing to Steven Gerrard following a poor start to the season for Aston Villa.

Villa have won just two of their opening nine Premier League matches, sitting just three points above the relegation zone with only Wolves having scoring fewer than their goal tally of seven.

That has resulted in boss Gerrard coming under pressure, with speculation that Villa could move on from the former Liverpool captain if results do not improve.

Potter has made it clear that the situation can change swiftly, adding that there is "always somebody under pressure" in England's top flight.

"The margins are very small in the Premier League - I'm sure Steven will want to improve their results," he said ahead of Chelsea's trip to Villa on Sunday.

"If they had beaten Forest they would have gone above Liverpool so that shows you how quick things change.

"There's always somebody under pressure in the Premier League and at the moment it's Steven."

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is hopeful Jamaica international Leon Bailey will be available for Sunday’s clash against Chelsea.  The 25-year-old forward, who has been plagued by his fair share of injuries since moving to the club, missed the team’s encounter against Nottingham Forest on Monday.

The result put more pressure on Gerrard as the team struggled to break down a resolute Forrest backline.  Bailey, who has started in 6 of the team’s 8 games, has only scored once but has more successful dribbles in the 18-yard box than any other Villa player and has also delivered the most crosses (19).

The Jamaican has, however, since returned to training and Gerrard is hopeful the player will be able to return to the line-up to give the team a needed boost for what is expected to be a difficult fixture.

“Hopefully. He was out on training pitch running at 70, 80 per cent yesterday so hopefully, with no reaction, we can push him and get him available,” Gerrard said.

The coach also hinted that there could also be several changes in the team’s line-up ahead of the encounter.

“There could be a few changes in the team. It could be pretty quick.”

France midfielder Boubacar Kamara will be out of action until after the World Cup due to knee ligament damage, Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has confirmed.

Kamara has been capped three times by France and was called up for their latest round of Nations League matches this month.

However, the 22-year-old had to withdraw from the squad after injuring his knee during Villa's 1-0 win against Southampton on September 16.

It was revealed last week Kamara had suffered ligament damage, and Gerrard announced on Friday the former Marseille player will not recover in time for Qatar 2022.

"Boubacar will be missing until after the World Cup, unfortunately, so that is a huge blow," Gerrard said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Leeds United.

"It's not ideal. We have had better days on the injury front."

Villa have also lost fellow marquee signing Diego Carlos, who ruptured his Achilles on just his second outing after joining from Sevilla.

Kamara's international team-mate Lucas Digne sustained a heel injury while away with his country and "will be unavailable in the coming weeks".

Aston Villa received a pre-match message from Prince William before their much-needed 1-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League.

Jacob Ramsey's first-half strike was enough to give Villa the home victory on Friday, and manager Steven Gerrard said his players had received a royal message.

Former Liverpool midfielder Gerrard revealed the Prince, who is a fan of the Midlands clubs, had said he would have liked to have been present at Villa Park, but was understandably busy following the recent passing of his grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Gerrard said: "He messaged in the week, to the club, and that shows everything about what he thinks of this club. For us to reward that with a result and clean sheet, I'm sure he will be proud.

"It was along the lines of 'would love to be there'. He is consistently in touch. He is very supportive of the boys individually, he loves them. It's really impressive, his knowledge, and how much he is in to it.

"It certainly took me back. He is very much involved in Villa. For him to message in the situation he is in is really impressive."

The win in the largely forgettable contest was just Villa's second of the season, moving them up to 13th in the Premier League table.

"Where we were before the game, in terms of our league position, it was about the result," Gerrard added. "It wasn't pretty or stylish, but was all about resilience, guts, character and owning the pitch."

Pep Guardiola bemoaned Manchester City's lack of precision as they were held to a 1-1 Premier League draw by Aston Villa on Saturday.

City looked to be heading to the top of the table when Erling Haaland prodded home from close range five minutes into the second half.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has now scored 10 goals in his first six Premier League games – the joint-fastest a player has reached that total, along with Mick Quinn in December 1992.

He is also just the fifth player to score in each of their first three away appearances in the Premier League, after Peter Beardsley, Jurgen Klinsmann, Francesco Baiano and Alen Boksic.

However, Leon Bailey's first Premier League goal since September 2021 ensured the spoils were shared, as the Jamaica international powered home with 16 minutes remaining.

City squandered a host of opportunities to extend their advantage after Haaland's opener, leaving Guardiola to rue his side's sloppiness.

"It was a good game. We conceded just one goal from one shot on target in 90 minutes," he told Sky Sports.

"We were not precise in our final third touches and our simple things, especially in the first half. We had chances to score a second when the game was in our hands, but we didn't.

"We were better after the goal, but we were just not precise enough in the crosses; we missed a few situations and that's why we could not score.

"They [Villa] defended well, they are well organised and physical. We created enough chances to score goals and we defended well apart from one action."

Villa now have four points from their first six Premier League games of the season (W1 D1 L4), their joint-lowest total at this stage in the competition, along with 2015-16 and 2019-20.

Boss Steven Gerrard, though, believes his side's display can act as a turning point in their season.

"We've been close to that performance but the moments have gone against us, they have been kinder to us today but that's got to be the start of us," he said. "We have to use this and grow our results.

"I'm proud; the players have come together today. They put an incredible amount of effort into the game and followed instructions.

"City are always going to have moments and we had to ride our luck. This is what we wanted out of the game and this is the game plan we gave them.

"We praised the players after the first half for out of possession stuff, but said we need to be more aggressive on the regain and believe in ourselves more. Our players didn't sink after City scored and I was really happy with the response and the body language."

Steven Gerrard has backed Aston Villa's decision not to sell Douglas Luiz to Arsenal on deadline day and does not foresee the failed transfer being an issue for the Brazil international.

Arsenal were widely reported to have made a move for Douglas Luiz on Thursday due to injury problems in their midfield.

It was claimed Villa were firmly opposed to a sale at a price Arsenal were willing to go to, though.

A bid of around £20million was said to be lodged, but Villa were instead holding out for £40m for a player in the final year of his contract.

Even with Gerrard's men bringing in fellow midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolves, no deal could be done, perhaps leaving Douglas Luiz a little disappointed.

"Knowing the boy and the player, I doubt it [will be an issue]," Gerrard said ahead of Saturday's game against Manchester City.

"I've got confidence he'll understand the situation and the club's decision, that we didn't want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window.

"From a personal point of view, I very much back the club's decision and stance on that.

"I spoke to Dougie face to face yesterday – he understood where it was at and the position that the club was in. He very much respects the decision.

"Hopefully it'll calm down in the hours and days coming and he'll be fine moving forward."

Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has conceded he is concerned about his position at the club amid a poor run of form.

A 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday marked Villa's fourth defeat in the opening five matches of the Premier League season, sitting second last in the standings at this early stage.

Having been jeered by his own supporters following the loss to West Ham at the weekend, a third defeat on the bounce has increased the pressure upon Gerrard.

Premier League clubs infamously lack patience with those in charge, shown by Bournemouth axing Scott Parker with just four games played, and Gerrard admitted he fears he could find himself in a similar position.

"I am really honest and self-critical of myself. I will do my job the best I can, I will step forward, I will take the responsibility in the best way I can," he said after the loss at the Emirates Stadium.

"But if I stood here and said to you that I was not concerned, I think you would look at me as if I was from a different planet."

Villa's loss to Arsenal will be all the more frustrating as Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner just 151 seconds after Douglas Luiz had equalised for the visitors, who may well have marked his farewell in style.

The Brazilian has been heavily linked with an exit before the close of the transfer window on Thursday and Gerrard was unable to offer assurances that he will stay.

"I'm not in control of that. There are more than two people in control of that but I'm certainly not one of them," he added.

"That will be Douglas, that will be his agent's decision as to what happens around that. I'd like to keep him because he's a fantastic player. I've made that abundantly clear.

"We are not in a position where we need to lose our top players, but at the same time, Douglas has got a year to go, and it is one of those really touchy situations where the club have to do what is best for the club and not necessarily what's best for me."

Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard insisted Diego Carlos has "a part to play" for the team despite being set for a long injury absence.

The Brazilian ruptured an Achilles tendon during last weekend's 2-1 victory over Everton and could be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Signed for an initial £26million from Sevilla in June, the Brazilian's injury is a significant blow to both the club and the player – who will have hoped to push his way into Brazil's World Cup squad in November.

Gerrard believes there is still a role for the defender to play for Villa this season, however, and intends to use his experience behind the scenes.

"It's certainly a blow to lose a player of his importance. He had successful surgery yesterday, so it's important that we look forward and try to be positive," Gerrard said ahead of Villa's trip to Crystal Palace.

 

"Each day that passes he's closer to a return, and we'll give him all the patience and support he needs from a medical point of view.

"It's important that he stays in amongst the group because he's still got a part to play. That's something which is forgotten in football: injured players taking a back seat. I don't want that to be the case. I want him to be very much involved in the dressing room and to show his leadership skills."

There has been speculation Villa could dip into the transfer market for a replacement, given the injury, and Gerrard said the club are weighing up their options.

"It's something we are analysing, we still have three fully fit centre-backs and Kortney Hause is back in full training," Gerrard said. "We have time to decide if we need more support in that area."

Aston Villa have confirmed Diego Carlos ruptured his Achilles tendon during Saturday's 2-1 win over Everton.

The 29-year-old, who reportedly cost the Premier League club an initial £26million when he joined from Sevilla in June, was making his home debut.

Diego Carlos' arrival was seen as a significant part of Steven Gerrard's attempt to strengthen the spine of the Villa team after an unconvincing end to last season.

But now it looks possible the Brazilian will not play again this campaign after Villa confirmed fears he suffered a serious Achilles injury in innocuous fashion right at the end of the game.

The injury also ends any chance the centre-back – an Olympic gold medallist last year – had of playing for Brazil at the World Cup.

A brief Villa statement did not suggest a potential return date, simply stating the player will have surgery and "then begin his rehabilitation programme".

Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard admitted to being "extremely worried" about Diego Carlos after he sustained an injury in the 2-1 victory over Everton.

The 29-year-old made his Premier League debut for Villa in the defeat to Bournemouth last week and retained his spot for Saturday's triumph against the Toffees.

Signed from Sevilla for a reported £26million, Diego Carlos suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Calum Chambers with just seconds remaining – with Gerrard revealing it did not look good for the defender.

"I'm extremely worried about it. It does not look good right now. He needs a scan. The medical staff are very worried," said the Villa boss.

"It's tarnished how I feel. Let's not say [it's a huge blow]. I'm worried about it. It's round by the ankle/Achilles area."

Gerrard was then asked if Villa would dip into the transfer market to land additional recruits and added: "We will have to wait and see the outcome of his injury."

Villa travel to face Crystal Palace next week, then take on West Ham and Arsenal before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Few things will have made football fans feel stranger than seeing Lionel Messi wearing any other club shirt than that of Barcelona.

That is what happened in 2021 though, when the legendary Argentine made the move to Paris Saint-Germain due to the financial mess at the Camp Nou.

What could be stranger than that? Perhaps a Ballon d'Or shortlist of 30 names being released and not seeing Messi's among them?

On Friday, that once ludicrous suggestion became reality as the nominees for the 2022 award were announced in batches of five, only the familiar mention of the seven-time winner never came.

Of course, it was not especially a surprise. Messi struggled to make an impact at PSG after his free transfer to the Parc des Princes, scoring just six goals in 26 Ligue 1 games as his new team eased to the title, and a further five in seven Champions League outings.

By comparison, Messi won last year's Ballon d'Or after scoring 30 goals in 35 LaLiga games in 2020-21, as well as three in the Copa del Rey and five in the Champions League for Barca.

It still feels odd to see his name omitted, and Stats Perform has taken a trip down memory lane and looked at the last time Messi was not shortlisted for the prestigious award, all the way back in 2005.

The master before the apprentice

Before Messi, there was Ronaldinho, a player so captivating in 2005 he even earned a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu from the Real Madrid fans for his performance in El Clasico.

The Brazilian consistently wowed the crowds with his skill paired with dribbling prowess and the ability to change a game all on his own. 

Unlike Messi, Ronaldinho did not earn plaudits for scoring incredible numbers of goals, more that he was generally a scorer of beautiful goals in important moments. Across league and Champions League, he scored 13 goals and recorded eight assists in 42 games for Barca in 2004-05.

That season saw him star for Barca as he won his first LaLiga title, which included providing an assist as a very young Messi scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete.

Although Champions League glory would elude him until 2006, Ronaldinho still managed to make a mark even in Barca's first knockout round exit to Chelsea in 2005 as he scored both goals in the 4-2 second leg defeat at Stamford Bridge, including a delightful toe poke that flew past Petr Cech.

For a player of his undoubted ability, it was a surprise that this was Ronaldinho's only Ballon d'Or, with Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro winning in 2006, Milan maestro Kaka doing so in 2007 and Cristiano Ronaldo lifting the first of many in 2008, starting the era of dominance between him and Messi.

Two lions unable to roar to success

Not all that far behind Ronaldinho in the voting back in 2005 were England midfield pair Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

The Barca man had received 50 votes in all, with Lampard second on 45 and Gerrard third on 39, though the Brazilian was significantly ahead of his two rivals in terms of those who voted him first (with voters marking down their top five in order).

It had been an excellent year for both Lampard and Gerrard though, with the former a key part of Jose Mourinho's dominant Chelsea who not only won the Premier League at a canter, securing 95 points and finishing 12 ahead of second-place Arsenal, but also dumped Barcelona out of the Champions League.

However, they in turn were eliminated from the competition in the semi-finals by Gerrard and Liverpool, who went on to lift the cup in Istanbul after a dramatic win on penalties against Milan in the final.

Had it been the modern day, in all likelihood, Gerrard would have received the most votes given the emphasis placed on winning the Champions League in recent years.

The Reds captain was a force of nature in 2004-05, dragging Liverpool through several games on his own though, like Ronaldinho, had not been a very regular scorer, only netting seven goals and four assists in 30 Premier League games, and Rafael Benitez's side finished a disappointing fifth.

Lampard was more of a net botherer though, scoring 13 goals and recording an impressive 18 assists in 38 league games for the Blues on their march to the title.

Funnily enough, Gerrard and Lampard will face each other as managers on Saturday as Aston Villa host Everton in the Premier League.

The little engine that would

Little did the game know what was about to hit it.

When Messi scored that goal against Albacete on May 1, 2005, it was the birth of a figure who would go on to become arguably the greatest footballer of all time.

It must be said that the last time Messi was not on what was then a 50-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, he was just 18 years old, and had been just 17 when he netted his first goal for Barca.

For the remainder of the year, Messi set about establishing himself as a key part of Barca's attack alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o under the coaching of Frank Rijkaard.

Messi scored six goals in 17 LaLiga appearances for the Blaugrana in 2005-06, as well as notching his first Champions League goal in a 5-0 win over Panathinaikos at the Camp Nou.

In 2006, he was tied 20th in the voting for the Ballon d'Or and the rest, as they say, is history.

Don't bet against seeing his name back on the shortlist in 2023, having already scored three goals in his first two games for PSG this season.

There is also a World Cup on the horizon, after all.

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