Aston Villa serve up embarrassing pre-match blunder before vital Champions League clash with PSG

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One of their biggest nights in modern history, Aston Villa got one detail terribly wrong on Tuesday night

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could do nothing but watch on at Villa Park on Tuesday
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could do nothing but watch on at Villa Park on Tuesday (Image credit: Getty Images)

Aston Villa served up an embarrassing pre-match blunder just moments before their huge Champions League clash with PSG.

Unai Emery's side, who won 3-2 on the night, crashed out of the competition at the quarter-final stage with the Ligue 1 giants emerging victors 5-4 on aggregate after two legs of football.

However, with the stage set at Villa Park, a huge error was made during their pre-match preparations that even left some players visibly frustrated and red-faced.

What happened at Villa Park and how did the club get one detail so terribly wrong?

A huge tifo was unfurled at the Holte End prior to kick off in the Midlands

A huge tifo was unfurled at the Holte End prior to kick off in the Midlands (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite almost forcing extra time with a plethora of chances inside the final 30 minutes, it was Luis Enrique's men who held on to book their spot in the last four of the competition.

Marcus Rashford's withdrawal was met with confusion, especially given the England international had shown flashes of brilliance by helping to set up Ezri Konsa for Villa's go-ahead goal on the evening.

Marcus Rashford earned himself a rating of 8.8 from WhoScored for his performance in the second leg

Marcus Rashford earned himself a rating of 8.8 from WhoScored for his performance in the second leg (Image credit: Getty Images)

But as the two teams lined up before kick-off in the Midlands, the UEFA Europa League music began to play over the tannoy as opposed to the iconic UEFA Champions League anthem.

Players including Konsa could be seen face-palming as the music rang out with only those eagle-eyed (or should we say eagle-eared) supporters noticing the glaring blunder made by the club.

On what was seen as the Villans biggest game of the season, rival fans from Birmingham City, West Brom and Wolves were quick to poke fun hinting that even those at Villa Park aren't deserving of a big night under the lights.

"They saw Unai Emery and immediately played the Europa League music," wrote one supporter online. "Tell me you're taking the p***? How can you confuse UCL & UEL themes," added another.

In FourFourTwo's view, did the anthem come as a bad omen for Villa on the night? They were so close to scoring on three separate occasions and maybe a tiny bit more luck could have helped them out.

Aston Villa must now return their focus to finishing in the top five in the Premier League and they host Newcastle United this weekend.

Matthew Holt
Matthew Holt

Matthew Holt writes freelance for FourFourTwo, amongst others, and boasts previous experience at GOAL and SPORTBible. He now works with us alongside his time at Manchester United and Reach PLC, aiding with online content for the website. Career highs include working at the FA Cup final, as well as scoring at Old Trafford in front of the Stretford End. A long-term sufferer of his beloved Scunthorpe United, he is often seen on the padel court, as well as occasionally as a six-a-side call-up.