The 2008-09 season was Aston Villa's 17th season in the Premier League. The 2008âÂÂ09 Premier League season was Villa's 134th season in English football. It was the club's 98th season in the top-flight and their 21st consecutive season in the top flight. They were managed by Martin O'Neill â in his third season since replacing David O'Leary. The 2008âÂÂ09 season was the first spell in European competition for O'Neill, and the first for Villa, in 6 seasons.
The club's first summer signing was the permanent capture of on-loan West Brom centre-back, Curtis Davies, in July, while their first sale was made in May, as Luke Moore completed a move to West Brom in an initial ã3 million deal, after he had spent the second half of the 2007âÂÂ08 season there on loan.
The fixtures for the 2008âÂÂ09 season were announced on Monday 16 June 2008, with Aston Villa beginning at home against Manchester City and finishing the season at home to Newcastle. Due to Birmingham's relegation at the end of the 2007âÂÂ08 season, there was no Second City derby, however they faced local rivals West Brom on 20 September 2008 at The Hawthorns and on 10 January 2009 at home.
In December 2008, Everton player and boyhood Villa fan, Joleon Lescott put two past Villa and still lost the match following Ashley Young's "brilliant" equalizer.
After 25 games, having qualified for the UEFA Cup as joint winners of the Intertoto Cup, the club were third in the table on 51 points, 2 points above Chelsea on level games and 7 points above Arsenal in 5th place and on course for a place in the Champions League for the first time since 1983. O'Neill decided to prioritise Champions League qualification above all else, fielding a virtual reserve side for a UEFA Cup game against CSKA Moscow which was subsequently lost. Following this, Villa failed to win any of the next 8 league games and improving form for Arsenal & Chelsea meant that Villa failed to reach the top 4.
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