Aston Villa have Marco Silva in their debt over sliding doors moment as Fulham exit confirmed

Aston Villa will forever owe Marco Silva a debt of gratitude, with his departure from Fulham now confirmed.

Having previously held posts at Hull City, Watford and Everton, Silva had become something of a familiar figure in English football.

But it was at Fulham where he truly made a name for himself.

After guiding the Cottagers to promotion back to the Premier League with ease at the end of the 2021-22 season, he went on to establish them in the top flight - more than earning his impending move to Benfica.

With the Portuguese boss now leaving English football after a nine-year spell, Villa fans have plenty of reason to be grateful to Silva for several key moments in recent seasons.

Marco Silva played his part in sliding doors moment at Aston Villa

With Villa in the Championship between 2016 and 2019, the Villans did not have the opportunity to face Silva during his early years in England.

But they more than made up for that, with the B6 outfit losing only twice against his sides while winning the other seven meetings.

Under Unai Emery, Villa have lost just once, with Ryan Sessegnon scoring the only goal in a 1-0 Fulham win back in April.

During this period, his side have won 3-1 three times, with the Spaniard having the upper hand over his neighbouring Portuguese colleague.

But it would be Silva himself who sparked Emery's Villa Park arrival, with Fulham tearing apart Steven Gerrard's side 3-0 at Craven Cottage in October 2022.

At that point, the Whites were a newly promoted side with 15 points on the board - two ahead of Villa with 13.

Leaving the Villans dangling in the bottom half of the Premier League, Gerrard would lose his job, prompting the arrival of the man who changed the course of history in the Second City.

Aston Villa fans could not have predicted what was to come

After taking a reputation hit at Arsenal, Emery worked tirelessly to build this back up at Villarreal, where he would do so with a Europa League win and subsequent Champions League semi-final trip.

Taking over at Villa Park soon after, he would hit the ground running instantaneously, securing a Conference League finish by the end of the season.

And even in the following years, supporters could not have predicted what was to come.

One-hundred-and-ninety-six matches and 109 wins later, Emery is a God-like figure at Villa Park.

Now a seasoned competitor at the top end of the standings, the Villans have been in Europe in each of his terms in charge.

This season, Emery has guided Villa to their first piece of silverware in three decades, adding a fifth Europa League title to his personal cabinet.

Alongside this, Villa would secure a return to the Champions League, and even carried faint hopes of a title challenge at the turn of the year.

Emery has changed the course of history for the Midlanders, and it all happened as a result of one dismal day on the banks of the Thames.