Unai Emery could not have made himself clearer. With 1957 being the last time they won the competition, the Villa manager was well aware of how "important" the FA Cup was to the club's supporters, but stressed "we have a clear order in our priorities". "As I always said, the Premier League is the most important competition," he wrote in his programme notes before the Newcastle defeat. How Emery will hope it is the first of many to ease the burden on fellow centre-forward Ollie Watkins. Villa may have exited the FA Cup, but Emery's team can still end their 30-year wait for a major trophy in the Europa League and are third in the Premier League, with a place in next season's Champions League the target.

Source: BBC February 15, 2026 13:05 UTC