Credit: Imago

Richie Mills

Sun 26 April 2026 12:10, UK

John McGinn is showing no signs of slowing down for Aston Villa as he hit a personal high despite the defeat to Fulham.

Villa’s six-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end on Saturday as Unai Emery‘s side fell to a narrow 1-0 loss at Craven Cottage.

The visitors started brightly and went close through Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, but couldn’t find a way past Bernd Leno.

But they were lacklustre for long periods, and Ryan Sessegnon pounced to give Fulham, who had a goal ruled out by Timothy Castagne for a foul on Emi Martinez, all three points.

Villa weren’t at their best against Fulham, but with players like captain McGinn in the team, they will look to put that right against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League on Thursday.

Aston Villa need John McGinn

When Villa had a midfield of Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and McGinn, they managed to secure an 11-match winning run in late 2025.

Their absences were keenly felt at the start of the year, but now Tielemans and McGinn are back from injury, Villa look a threat again – bar against Fulham.

Following Villa’s win over West Ham before the March international break, a remarkable stat emerged. The Villans had won 20 of the last 21 games in all competitions in which McGinn has scored.

The 31-year-old hasn’t scored since then but impressed in their Europa League quarter-final wins over Bologna and popped up with an assist in the 4-3 victory over Sunderland.

Against Fulham, McGinn had a 91 per cent passing accuracy, made five key passes, was one for one on dribbles, he made two recoveries and won three of his five ground duels.

And according to Birmingham Live reporter John Towley, this was the first time McGinn had created five chances in a Premier League game.

The Scotland international is known for his abrasive and high-energy style, in addition to chipping in with seven goals and six assists in 38 matches this season.

And if he can continue to create a host of chances, that may indicate he is not slowing down, far from it. That can only be good news for Villa.

Aston Villa must regroup

Villa received a reality check against Fulham, as the Cottagers claimed a deserved victory. The Villans’ loss saw Liverpool overtake them in fourth on goal difference after their 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Villa still have an eight-point cushion over Brighton in sixth with four games to go, but that gap could shrink if this next week goes badly.

Emery’s team currently have to play six more matches this season, which will jump to seven if they beat Forest in the Europa League semi-finals, in the space of a month.

The games come thick and fast, and if Villa want to avoid another late-season dip, they need to make sure this is just a blip and not the start of a downward spiral.