Choosing Aston Villa's 5 Most Frustrating Losses Under Paul Lambert

Things are looking increasingly dire at Villa Park. Aston Villa's draw with West Ham may have ended their six-match losing streak, but Villa were lucky to escape with a point, and they did little to show that the team has improved enough to turn their fortunes around. 

Villa have had their fair share of ups and downs over the past few seasons, but their current form has forced even the most optimistic fans to question the team's direction and has inspired this list detailing the most frustrating losses Villa have experienced under Paul Lambert.

The criteria for this list considers both the context surrounding the match and during the game itself. How Villa were playing leading up to the game, the strength of their opponent and how well both teams played during the match all have significant influences on the emotions surrounding a disappointing loss.

Therefore, narrow losses in which Villa squandered an early lead and were ultimately defeated are just as likely to make the cut as complete routs and one-sided affairs.

Without further ado, here are the five most frustrating losses from Villa's past three seasons in the Premier League.  

Honourable Mentions

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Nov. 17, 2012: Manchester City 5, Aston Villa 0

A glance at the scoreline alone gives some insight into why this loss would be considered one of Villa's most frustrating, but the story of the match goes deeper than that. Playing against the defending champions, Villa were still very much in the match despite being a goal down at the break.

An early penalty for a phantom handball early in the second half, however, stymied any hopes of a Villa comeback and left the fans with a bad taste in their mouths. That Villa ultimately conceded five goals certainly didn't help.

Dec. 29, 2012: Wigan Athletic 3, Aston Villa 0

This embarrassing loss to the eventually relegated Latics came during a period in which Villa were outscored 15-0 across three consecutive matches. Losses to Chelsea and Tottenham were easier to swallow due to the quality of opponent, but being thoroughly outplayed by a lackluster Wigan side was completely unacceptable. 

Aug. 21, 2013: Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 1

Fresh off an opening-day upset of Arsenal, Villa fans felt incredibly unlucky to see their team beaten by Chelsea after a number of questionable refereeing decisions failed to go Villa's way.

Although the result was undoubtedly tough to swallow, the game generated as many positive takeaways then negatives as a result of Villa's strong overall play. 

5. Dec. 8, 2013: Fulham 2, Aston Villa 0

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Entering the match unbeaten through six games, Villa had successfully rebounded from a poor stretch and looked to be making strides in developing their young players. However, in what has become too familiar of a story, things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Villa were completely outplayed and humiliated by a Fulham team that had lost seven consecutive matches. They sloppily conceded two goals and failed to come close to scoring or launch any offensive to put the result in doubt.

Fulham's midfield, among the league's worst that year, bossed the contest from the start and completely controlled the pace of the match. It was an inexplicably disinterested performance from the Villans in a game that seemed an easy three points on paper. 

4. Mar. 23, 2014: Stoke 4, Aston Villa 1

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Fresh off of one of Villa's greatest victories in recent years—a 1-0 win over title-chasing Chelsea—Lambert's team put in one of their worst performances when they were thrashed 4-1 by Stoke City. Villa were soundly outworked by a less than stellar opponent, and the loss had long-lasting ramifications as well.

Leandro Bacuna, now an afterthought at Villa Park, was embarrassed by Marko Arnautovic throughout the match, and the Dutch player could realistically point to this match as the turning point in his Villa career. The utility man has fallen to third-choice right-back this season and has struggled to get playing time.

In addition, the loss would start Villa on a skid that lasted over a month and nearly saw the club relegated. The Villans would win just one of their remaining eight games after losing to Stoke, demonstrating how demoralizing this loss was.  

3. Nov. 2, 2014: Tottenham Hotspur 2, Aston Villa 1

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A defeat still fresh in the minds of the Holte Enders, Villa's collapse against Tottenham was simply painful to witness. For the first time in months, Villa actually outplayed their opponent for the majority of the match and held a deserved lead, breaking their long scoreless streak after creating a number of quality chances and capitalizing on one of them. 

Unfortunately, Christian Benteke was baited into reacting to the antics of Ryan Mason and the Belgian's lack of composure saw him sent off in an incident that shifted the momentum in Spurs' favour. From that moment on, the tension was rife and you could sense that Villa were falling apart.

A poorly defended corner and a stroke of luck from a free-kick were all it took for Villa to concede the two goals that sealed their sixth straight defeat in what can only be described as one of the hardest results to swallow for Villa fans in recent times. 

2. Nov. 10, 2012: Manchester United 3, Aston Villa 2

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For the first 50 minutes, Aston Villa were in complete dreamland against one of their oldest foes. Manchester United have historically tormented Villa fans, but an Andreas Weimann brace and a beastly performance by the newly signed Christian Benteke had Villa Park bouncing. 

It all changed in a flash when super sub Javier Hernandez broke Villa hearts with a dazzling display. The Mexican striker had a hand in all three of the Red Devils' goals and in what seemed like the blink of an eye Villa fell behind and lost the match 3-2.

While belief in their new manager and strong performances from some of Villa's unproven players left many encouraged, throwing away a two-goal lead at home was more than enough to make many supporters feel absolutely sickened by what they had just witnessed. 

1. Dec. 23, 2012: Chelsea 8, Aston Villa 0

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Although it may be difficult to fully comprehend some of Villa's losses on this list simply by glancing at the scoreline, it doesn't take any understanding of the context or circumstances of Villa's match against Chelsea to realize how humiliated the Villa fans felt after seeing their team drubbed 8-0 by the Blues. 

Fernando Torres opened the scoring just three minutes into the contest, and things only got worse from there. Chelsea tore through Villa's inexperienced team, and it was painfully clear that there was no fight among the Villa players that day.

No matter the quality of opposition, conceding eight goals is always unacceptable and it is therefore no surprise that Chelsea's dismantling of Villa in 2012 tops this list as the team's worst loss over the past three seasons under Paul Lambert.