Aston Villa ease pressure on Steven Gerrard as Premier League returns after Queen’s death

English top-flight back in action for first time since Queen died aged 96 on September 8, with last weekend’s games postponed as a mark of respect

Villa beat Southampton 1-0 while Fulham secure 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground

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Fans applaud on seventy minutes during Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Southampton following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:38am, 17 Sep 2022

Aston Villa eased the pressure on under-fire boss Steven Gerrard with a 1-0 win over Southampton on Friday as the Premier League returned following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The English top-flight was back in action for the first time since the queen died aged 96 on September 8, with last weekend’s games postponed as a mark of respect.

This Sunday’s matches between Manchester United and Leeds and Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as Saturday’s Brighton versus Crystal Palace fixture, have also been cancelled because of policing issues before the queen’s funeral on Monday.

Ahead of kick-off at Villa Park and the City Ground, where Fulham beat Nottingham Forest 3-2, there was a minute’s silence followed by the national anthem in a tribute to the queen that will be repeated at the rest of the weekend’s matches.

There was also applause from fans at both stadiums in the 70th minute to mark the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.

16 September 2022, United Kingdom, Birmingham: Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne (L) and Southampton’s Adam Armstrong battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Southampton at Villa Park. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire/dpa

While the queen’s death cast a long shadow over the Premier League’s return, Villa manager Gerrard could not afford to be distracted as he fights to save his job.