Aston Villa v Wolves

Rivals before the league even existed; they finished second and third in the very first season.

When William McGregor proposed the formation of the Football League in 1888, both Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers were among the twelve founding members. Villa, established in 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket team, and Wolves, founded in 1877 as St. Luke's FC, had already been competing against each other in friendlies and cup ties throughout the 1880s. That inaugural league season set the tone: Villa finished second, Wolves third. The proximity and competitiveness were baked in from the start.

The only final these rivals have ever shared, settled by a single Bob Chatt goal in 1895.

The rivalry reached its first major crescendo on 20 April 1895, when Villa met Wolves in the FA Cup final at Crystal Palace. Villa won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bob Chatt, claiming their second FA Cup. It remains the only time the two sides have met in a major final, and it cemented the fixture's status as something more than a local squabble.

Only the second club in history to claim both the league and the Cup in a single season; Villa owned England in 1897.

Aston Villa's 1896-97 season stands as one of the great achievements in English football history. They won both the First Division title and the FA Cup, becoming only the second club to complete the Double. Villa were the dominant force in the West Midlands and, arguably, in the entire country. Wolves, meanwhile, were relegated from the First Division in 1906, beginning a period of fluctuation between the top two tiers.

Wolves' floodlit victories over Honvéd and Spartak were so seismic, they effectively willed the European Cup into existence.

Under Stan Cullis, Wolves won three First Division titles in 1954, 1958 and 1959, and became famous for their floodlit friendlies against top European sides at Molineux. Their victories over Honvéd and Moscow Spartak were watched by millions on the BBC and helped inspire the creation of the European Cup. For a spell, Wolves were the more celebrated of the two West Midlands giants.

While Villa lifted the European Cup in Rotterdam, Wolves were tumbling towards the Fourth Division and near oblivion.

The early 1980s saw the two clubs' fortunes diverge dramatically. Aston Villa, under Ron Saunders and then Tony Barton, won the First Division title in 1981 and followed it with the European Cup in 1982, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam. It was the crowning moment in Villa's history. Wolves, by contrast, suffered successive relegations from the First Division to the Fourth Division between 1984 and 1986, nearly going out of existence entirely.

One season back up, then Wolves were gone, and the sides would not share a division consistently until the late 2010s.

Wolves returned to the Premier League for the 2003-04 season, reigniting the derby after years apart. But it was a brief reunion. Wolves were relegated after a single season, and the two clubs would not share the same division consistently until the late 2010s. The fixture lost none of its edge when it did occur, but opportunities were scarce.

Fosun's backing saw Wolves win the Championship and reach the Europa League quarter-finals within three years, returning top-flight Midlands derbies to the calendar.

Fosun International's takeover of Wolves in 2016 transformed the club. Under Nuno Espírito Santo, they won the Championship in 2018 and immediately established themselves as a competitive Premier League side, finishing seventh in consecutive seasons and reaching the Europa League quarter-finals. The West Midlands derby was back as a regular fixture, and both clubs were in the top flight together for the first time in over a decade.

Emery's arrival in October 2022 reshaped Villa entirely, with a fourth-place finish securing their first-ever Champions League berth by 2023-24.

Unai Emery's appointment as Villa manager in October 2022 sparked a remarkable transformation. Villa finished fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. The derby with Wolves took on added significance, with Villa firmly established among England's elite once more and Wolves fighting to maintain their own Premier League status.

Over a century of league meetings, and Villa Park still crackles with the same fierce proximity that no redevelopment can renovate away.

With both clubs in the Premier League for the 2024-25 season, the fixture remains one of the most anticipated in the West Midlands calendar. Villa Park, with its 43,000 capacity and planned redevelopment, provides a fitting stage. The two clubs have now met well over 100 times in league competition alone, and the proximity, the shared history, and the sheer stubbornness of both sets of supporters ensure this derby loses none of its bite.