Aston Villa thrashed Fenerbahce 6-0 at Villa Park to make it two wins from their opening two Champions League matches. The result also gave Villa their first home win of the season and underlined a fast start to the campaign under Unai Emery.
How the goals came
Villa were three goals ahead by half-time and never let the game drift away from them. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring in the 12th minute, before Nicolas Jackson struck in the 31st after a pass from Boubacar Kamara and added his second in the 39th.
The fourth goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after Ismail Yuksek fouled Manzambi, with Ross Barkley converting. Barkley scored again in the 72nd minute after being set up by Ibrahim Mbaye, and Tammy Abraham rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute.
There was also a small moment of tension over the penalty. Jackson wanted to take it in an attempt to complete his hat-trick, but Emery said afterwards that Barkley was always the designated taker.
What Emery said
Emery was pleased with the outcome but did not present the scoreline as a perfect reflection of the contest. He said Fenerbahce did not deserve to concede six and also made clear that he still wants more from his side.
“We are delighted with the first win at home. Then how we played in the first half I was not so happy,” Emery said.
He added: “Our structure is strong, but we need more time... today we took one very big step forwards... We want to be protagonists in the Champions League.”
The individual stories
Manzambi had a night to remember. The forward turned 21 on the day, made his first Champions League appearance and scored his first Champions League goal, with his family in the ground to watch it.
“My first Champions League game and my first goal - on my birthday. My family are here,” Manzambi said.
Emery was equally warm in his praise, saying: “He's a very nice guy. Very professional. A very good team-mate.”
Jackson’s two goals gave him the headline numbers, even if he had to settle for a brace rather than a hat-trick. “The most important thing is we win. Hopefully next time I'll get the hat trick,” he told TNT Sports.
Emery said of the striker: “He has power to get in behind. He can drop and help as well. We need him always to be in the box when we're attacking.”
What comes next
For all Villa’s control, Fenerbahce still created moments. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki denied Vedat Muriqi, while Oguz Aydin hit the crossbar, and Suzuki finished with six saves as the visitors posted 1.74 expected goals.
Among the other talking points, the Prince of Wales was in attendance, and Mason Greenwood, now with Fenerbahce, made his first appearance in England since January 2022. Villa’s next Champions League match is at home to Viking of Norway, with two wins already banked from their opening two games.