Villa were in action against Elche this morning but suffered a 1-0 defeat as Leigh Curtis brings you his talking points from the friendly clash
14:02, 27 Mar 2026Updated 14:05, 27 Mar 2026
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa suffered an injury scare to Jadon Sancho as a last-minute goal from Álvaro Rodríguez sealed Elche a 2-1 win at the Pinatar Arena.
Villa had been in cruise control after a header from Pau Torres midway through the half, but lost their momentum when Sancho suffered a shoulder injury after a tackle from Gonzalo Villar.
Federico Redondo equalised before the break and Villa then had to concede possession for large spells after the break as substitutions interrupted the flow of the game. And with the last kick of the game, Alvaro struck past substitute goalkeeper James Wright to secure the victory.
That had not looked on the cards in the first half as a Villa team, which included Tammy Abraham and Emi Buendia, started brightly.
They created an opportunity within two minutes when Pau Torres played a ball through the thirds to pick out Harvey Elliott.
The on-loan Liverpool attacker slid a super pass into the feet of Tammy Abraham who struck an effort across goal but he was denied by Iñaki Peña Sotorres.
Elliott was pulling the strings in attack and they combined again moments later when another excellent move ended with Abraham bouncing a shot wide of the post.
Iñaki Peña then denied Elliott as Villa completely dominated possession for the opening 20 minutes, letting the ball do the work in the heat.
You sensed it would not be long before Unai Emery’s team found the breakthrough and it arrived from a set-piece when Douglas Luiz’s corner was met by Pau Torres who directed it into the far corner.
Rafa Mir did return fire for Elche with a header that crept wide of the post before Sancho had to come off with a shoulder injury after a tackle from Gonzalo Villar.
That appeared to disrupt Villa’s momentum as Yago Santiago should have fired Elche level as the game crept towards the interval and Redondo did haul them level after showing neat feet inside the box before guiding past Marco Bizot.
Elche then took control of the game in the second half without being particularly threatening. Redondo headed wide before Brian Madjo, on as a substitute, went close for Villa.
But Alvaro sealed the win with the last kick of the game when he steered past Wright.
Emery’s biggest disappointment
The truth is that you never really learn much from these games, and the only objective really is to come through them without any injury scares.
Villa didn’t tick off that objective due to Jadon Sancho’s shoulder problem, the severity of which will no doubt become clear in the coming days. That will be Unai Emery’s biggest disappointment from a game where the result, in the context of Villa’s ambitions this season, was utterly meaningless.
This was just a chance to keep players ticking over for those who were not on international duty, and, by and large, it served its purpose against a team 17th in La Liga.
That said, there were good and bad elements of this performance during which Harvey Elliott shone, more of which you can read below. Villa had oozed superiority for the first 40 minutes until Sancho went off, which just seemed to disrupt their momentum from which they never recovered.
Emery will have been frustrated by some elements, including the defending for Elche’s equaliser and the way several players faded after a bright start, with Tammy Abraham among them. And leaving the young players aside for one minute, as this was a good learning experience for them, but Ollie Watkins’ introduction did not have the desired impact. He barely had a sniff, owed to Villa’s lack of control.
Overall, it was a game that taught us nothing except that it must have been nice to play in the sunshine, given the weather back home.
Double disaster avoided
It’s bad enough when players go out on international duty and pick up injuries, but sustaining an injury in a club friendly is equally as infuriating.
The sight of Jadon Sancho leaving the pitch in clear discomfort is a headache that Unai Emery does not need, particularly as we head into the final straight of the campaign.
The challenge itself was not particularly malicious, but the way Sancho fell was cause for immediate concern. As soon as he did not get back to his feet, the alarms began to sound, and it was clear that he was in a substantial amount of pain.
Once he did make it back to his feet, his reaction told its own story. Villa will hope it’s not as serious as it looked, but the optics weren’t great.
There were also hearts in mouths when Emi Buendia went down clutching his shoulder in the second half, and you could just imagine everybody watching back home peering at their screens through splayed fingers.
But he eventually got back to his feet and continued. The thought of losing him to injury after Sancho in a meaningless friendly was thankfully avoided.
Elliott pulls the strings
The Harvey Elliott situation has been well documented and it’s utterly farcical that a player of his ability has spent the season left in the wilderness.
But the on-loan Liverpool attacker has kept his head down when he would have good reason to have lost it given his lack of minutes.
The move to Villa hasn’t been what was advertised in the brochure, which is through no fault of his own. But his performance here, certainly in the early stages, was another reminder of his quality.
He was central to Villa’s best moves as Villa bossed the first half, and it’s a crying shame they have not been able to utilise him on a consistent basis in the Premier League in what must surely rank as one of the most pointless transfers in history.
His long-term future at Liverpool is shrouded in doubt, and an Anfield exit looks increasingly on the cards. And when you watch him play with such intelligence, you’re just left bewildered at how he has been treated. While the Villa deal has been nothing short of a disaster for him personally, there’s a very good player waiting for his next move.
He will not be short of offers, which will allow him to consign this season to the bin, which is where it deserves to be.
The bonus
While some of the young Villa prospects did not get onto the pitch until the last few minutes of the game, being in and around the senior pros will have been good for their education.
It will have given them an opportunity to see first-hand what is required to make the top level and for the likes of TJ Carroll and the rest, just to get that feel of being around the senior players in a match environment will have taught them a lot.
The result might have not gone the way Villa wanted it too, but if we’re looking at positives then being away with the first team, minus those who were on international duty, should give them further appetite to want to make the grade.