Aston Villa secured their first home win of the season on Wednesday by thrashing Fenerbahce six nil in the Champions League at Villa Park. The result is the club’s biggest ever victory in European competition and their eleventh successive home win in Europe.
Prince William watched from the stands as Unai Emery’s side produced a dominant attacking display. Johan Manzambi celebrated his 21st birthday by opening the scoring on his first Champions League appearance. The Switzerland international scored with a deflected effort after Matteo Guendouzi inadvertently headed on John McGinn’s cross following a short corner.
Nicolas Jackson took the game beyond the Turkish side before half-time. Jackson collected a pass from Boubacar Kamara to score cleanly from the edge of the penalty area just after the half-hour mark. He repeated the trick six minutes before the interval to claim his second and Villa’s third.
Mason Greenwood made his first appearance in England since January 2022 and was booed by the crowd every time he touched the ball. Greenwood faced charges in 2022 of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault, which the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew.
Villa kept pressing after the break and added a fourth when Ismail Yuksek tripped Manzambi inside the area. Ross Barkley stepped up to convert the penalty. Jackson admitted he wanted to take the spot kick himself to secure a hat-trick, telling TNT Sports that the win was the most important thing.
Barkley quickly added a fifth with a deflected shot. Tammy Abraham completed the six-goal rout by turning in a cross from Alysson near the end. It was the first time Villa had scored six goals in a game since beating Brighton in 2023.
The performance contrasts with Villa’s difficult start to the season, when they scored only one goal in their opening four matches. The team has scored at least three times in four of their past six fixtures.
Manager Unai Emery spoke about the team’s ambitions in Europe after the match. "We are being ambitious," Emery said. "We want to be protagonists in the Champions League."
Villa face a trip to Newcastle United in the domestic league on Saturday. If they defeat Viking at home next Wednesday, Villa will collect nine points from three games and move closer to qualification from the league stage.
