Aston Villa haven't had a Premier League penalty all season, but it's a trend that's probably more common than you think.....
Will Aston Villa get a Premier League penalty this season?
How can a team not be awarded a penalty in a 38-game Premier League season?
That’s the reality facing Aston Villa as the 2025/26 season draws to a close.
Aston Villa, along with Tottenham, are the only two teams in the league yet to be awarded a penalty this season. Villa have had penalties in Europe, most recently Emi Buendía converting against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park.
Villa were awarded a ludicrous penalty in the 2–0 victory over West Ham in March, after Paul Tierney pointed to the spot when Konstantinos Mavropanos challenged Ollie Watkins, but VAR quickly got involved and rectified the mistake. Even the most ardent Aston Villa fans would have struggled to justify that decision, but you would think, by the law of averages, a penalty would be awarded to Unai Emery’s men at some stage.
Aston Villa have conceded two penalties this season. Emi Martínez saving from Antoine Semenyo against Bournemouth at Villa Park in November, and Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring for Palace back in August.
Amazingly, this feat is more common than you might expect. Teams have gone a whole Premier League season without winning a penalty. A few examples from the records include Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2024/25, Bournemouth in 2022/23, Norwich City in 2020/21, and Everton in 2019/20. It has happened multiple times across the competition’s history, so it is unusual rather than impossible.
The bizarre thing about it is that a team in Villa’s lofty league position would usually have had one by now. The examples above were teams that were generally struggling.
I can’t think of too many “stonewall” appeals that have been rejected, but it does fit into the narrative that Villa can be pretty hard done by in the Premier League. Tammy Abraham was hauled down against Brighton at Villa Park in February, but luckily Villa scored from the resulting corner.
The Emi Buendía penalty shout at the weekend against Burnley feels the most legitimate case, although I think I’d have been disappointed if it were given the other way, despite the evidence of Buendía’s sock being breached. The Argentina international even went as far as to post the evidence on social media.
So time is running out for Villa on the penalty front. Let’s hope they don’t need the practice for any potential shootout in Istanbul on 20th May!