Unai Emery gets worst possible referee appointment for Aston Villa clash vs Wolves
Aston Villa are looking to return to form as they make the short trip to Wolves on Friday.
Tammy Abraham netted a late winner in the 1-1 draw with Leeds at Villa Park on Saturday, though the draw sees their inconsistent run continue.
Unai Emery’s side travel to their West Midlands rivals having won just three times in 2026, seeing Manchester United and Chelsea claw back ground on them in the process.
Opponents Wolves are locked to the bottom of the Premier League, having amassed just 10 points from 28 matches.
However, a local derby under the lights will always carry the potential to be a banana skin, and the confirmed referee appointment may be another bad omen for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa will hope Craig Pawson appointment is not a bad omen ahead of Wolves clash
After being condemned to the Europa League on the final day last season, Villa are looking to secure their return to the Champions League.
This looked all but a certainty at the beginning of the year, before the recent run of form has seen those behind catch up.
Ahead of Friday’s clash with their neighbours, Craig Pawson has been appointed referee at Molineux, with Paul Howard on VAR duty.
While it could be nothing more than a wild coincidence, Villa will hope that their recent record with Pawson in charge does not bring further bad luck, with Emery’s side winless across their last five matches officiated by Pawson.
Aston Villa’s worst points per game with specific referees (Premier League):
- Craig Pawson – 1.04
- Mike Riley – 1.07
- Michael Oliver – 1.17
- Mike Dean – 1.17
- Chris Foy – 1.22
On a more positive note, Pawson was in charge of Villa’s 2-1 FA Cup win against Tottenham, though their last league win with him in the middle came in September 2024, when the Villans beat Everton 3-2 on home soil.
For Wolves, they are unbeaten in their last four at Molineux with Pawson on duty.
Wolves’ unbeaten Molineux record with Pawson as referee:
- 2-0 vs Everton – 23/09/25 (EFL Cup)
- 1-1 vs Brentford – 25/05/25 (Premier League)
- 2-1 vs Manchester City – 30/09/23 (Premier League)
- 2-1 vs Leicester City – 20/02/22 (Premier League
Aston Villa have another Wolves record they must fix
Those associated with Villa know exactly what a sticky fixture Wolves away is.
Since winning 3-2 in the 2011-12 season, the Villans have won just once in nine matches at Molineux, when Anwar El Ghazi netted a late penalty in 2020. Wolves fans will eagerly remind Villa that this came without supporters present.
This comes at a time when Villa are in desperate need of points, after an inconsistent run as of late.
With successive clashes against Chelsea and Manchester United coming up, Villa need to get back into form ahead of a likely battle for the Champions League places.
At the same time, things begin heating up in Europe, with Villa set to take part in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, carrying their tag as one of the favourites to triumph in May.
Starting with a heated clash at Molineux this week, Villa simply have to return to form over the coming weeks.
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