Morgan Rogers: Man Utd loss highlights worrying trend for Aston Villa and Unai Emery star
Aston Villa’s season is stalling at the same time that Morgan Rogers’ form has significantly dropped off for Unai Emery.
Villa suffered a huge blow in the battle to secure Champions League football next season following their 3-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Casemiro put Michael Carrick’s team ahead before Ross Barkley levelled on his first start in 14 months for the Villa Park outfit.
But goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko sent Emery‘s men to another disappointing loss.
While they are still two points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool and three in front of Chelsea, Villa have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now.
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Key to stopping Aston Villa is through Morgan Rogers
Like Villa, Rogers started the season in underwhelming fashion. The attacking midfielder looked uninterested as his side hovered around the relegation zone.
His form dramatically improved in late October into December, a period that coincided with Villa going on a club-record 11-match winning streak.
In 12 games, the former Middlesbrough man scored seven Premier League goals and added three assists.
Back then, Villa were title challengers. Now, they have a job on their hands to qualify for the Champions League.
And it seems that if you can nullify Rogers, who has scored once in 2026, you can neuter Villa’s effectiveness. Indeed, Total Villa states that Rogers, who has still had a good season as this Sofascore graphic below shows, has scored once from 35 shots since Christmas.
Indeed, while Rogers was lethal earlier on this season with his shooting, that has dropped off over time, in what is a worrying trend.
The 23-year-old has scored eight league goals, but his Expected Goals tally is 10.57. More specifically, for Villa they are struggling for goals as a whole.
Villa have scored the fewest of any club in the top seven and have netted the same number of goals (40) as relegation-threatened Tottenham.
The Villans have also lost their last three consecutive league games, their longest run since February 2023. That’s as many defeats as they suffered in their 17 previous league encounters (11 wins, three draws, and three losses).
Aston Villa running out of steam
After Villa secured a comeback win at Chelsea on 27 December, they were just one point behind Manchester City in second and three adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.
Their 11-game winning streak was brutally ended by the Gunners just three days later in a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, and there hasn’t been too much to cheer about since then.
Just three league wins in 2026 have seen their title hopes evaporate, and they are at risk of failing to qualify for the lucrative Champions League for a second straight season.
They are desperately missing midfield enforcer Boubacar Kamara and playmaker Youri Tielemans, although captain John McGinn has just returned from a knee problem.
They are out of the FA Cup, are sliding down the table, and if they lose in the Europa League on Thursday to Lille, their season could be over.
Villa are lacking strength and depth and seem to be running out of steam quite a way before the finish line. Emery has done a remarkable job, but the Spaniard needs to do something quite special to keep them in the top five.
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