Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Sat 25 April 2026 14:22, UK

Aston Villa fell to defeat as Fulham sealed a 1-0 win on Saturday.

The Villans travelled to Craven Cottage knowing that three points would take them within touching distance of Champions League qualification.

That didn’t seem to make a difference as the away side fell behind in the first half, thanks to a Ryan Sessegnon strike.

Things didn’t get much better after the break, and the game eventually ebbed away from the claret and blue outfit.

Villa didn’t truly impress against Fulham, as Villa News now rates each player’s performance out of 10 in West London.

Lamare Bogarde blew his chance vs Fulham

It was a surprise to see Amadou Onana miss out on the starting XI when the team sheets were released ahead of kick-off.

The Belgium international has been key for Villa in recent weeks, and their record with and without him speaks for itself.

Bogarde was afforded the chance to come in and start ahead of Douglas Luiz, but didn’t take that opportunity.

He lasted 74 minutes before being taken off after failing to complete a dribble, while losing five of his six attempted duels on the day.

That wasn’t made any better by his defensive output of just one tackle and one block, which isn’t good enough for the man at the base of midfield.

Bogarde has shown positive signs at Aston Villa, but today certainly wasn’t that day for the Netherlands youth international.

Pau Torres has day to forget for Aston Villa

There were no true star performers in claret and blue, but there certainly were some names who deserve to be singled out for the wrong reasons.

Pau Torres returned from injury and was met with delight after he missed out against Sunderland last time out in the Premier League.

That feeling quickly dissipated as the Spaniard picked up a booking and had a generally difficult afternoon in the capital.

The 29-year-old misplaced 10 passes and contributed with just three defensive actions despite falling to defeat.

That certainly isn’t helped by losing three duels, which only paints a more frustrating picture of the defender.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Fulham

Emi Martinez – 5

Matty Cash – 6

Ezri Konsa – 5

Pau Torres – 4

Lucas Digne – 4

Lamare Bogarde – 3

Youri Tielemans – 6

Morgan Rogers – 6

John McGinn – 6

Emi Buendia – 5

Ollie Watkins – 6

Substitutes

Douglas Luiz – N/A

Ross Barkley – N/A

Jadon Sancho – 6

Leon Bailey – N/A

Tammy Abraham – 4