Premier League; Aston Villa Part ways with Steven Gerrard as Head Coach
It was another dismal day for Steven Gerrard. A wretched performance and result against Fulham at Craven Cottage left Aston Villa hovering above the relegation zone on goals scored. Barely 90 minutes after the final whistle, they confirmed their head coach’s departure.
You got the feeling this was always a must-win fixture for Gerrard, who was already under pressure having seen his team lose five of their opening 10 games this season.
Harrison Reed’s fine strike, Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty and a Tyrone Mings own goal gave Fulham a deserved 3-0 victory, but Villa were poor throughout and their night was summed up when Douglas Luiz was sent off for a petulant headbutt in the second half.
There were loud boos from the travelling fans at half-time and full-time, while chants of ‘Steven Gerrard, get out of our club’ sent a clear and damning message to the Villa board.
“You know and I know I’m in a difficult position right now,” the 42-year-old said in his post-match press conference. And so it proved.
Villa’s wait for a first win since September 16 continues. They will now have a new man in the dugout when the next one eventually arrives.
Dan Sansom
