The festive theatre season may still be some way off, but supporters in the Holte End enthusiastically celebrated their heroes and jeered the opposition as Aston Villa recorded their first home win of the campaign. It was also the club’s largest victory in European competition. Mason Greenwood, making his first appearance in England since January 2022, was booed whenever he received the ball, while Villa’s revived attacking form drew even greater cheers.
Johan Manzambi marked his 21st birthday by scoring on his Champions League debut. Nicolas Jackson then struck twice before the interval to put the result beyond Fenerbahce and ease concerns about playing beside the demolished North Stand.
Prince William watched from the crowd as Ross Barkley scored twice on a memorable evening, beginning with a penalty won by Manzambi. Tammy Abraham also found the net as Villa scored six in one match for the first time since their 2023 victory over Brighton. Since the beginning of last season, no club has registered more than Villa’s 15 wins in European competition.
Any suggestion that the vacant North Stand had become a source of bad luck was firmly dismissed, with Villa scoring three goals at the end currently undergoing redevelopment. Taunts aimed at Greenwood rang out from the three full stands, alongside several less restrained chants. It was the former England forward’s first competitive appearance in the country since featuring in Manchester United’s 1-0 victory against West Ham United.
Greenwood faced charges in 2022 of attempted rape, controlling and coercive conduct, and assault causing actual bodily harm. Prosecutors ended the case in February 2023 after important witnesses withdrew and additional evidence emerged. He had denied all the allegations.
He had previously appeared for Marseille in a friendly against Villa 14 months earlier, when he was accused of spitting at Amadou Onana. The hostile response was therefore expected, beginning when his name was read out and continuing whenever he became involved in play.
Villa’s fluent attacking performance offered a much more enjoyable spectacle. Jackson has now scored five times for Unai Emery’s side since completing a £65m summer move from Chelsea. Manzambi, signed from Freiburg for £59.5m, impressed in the No 10 position with his delicate control and determined physical play. He described scoring in his first Champions League match, on his birthday and in front of his family, as a particularly special moment.
The Switzerland international kept his composure to finish after Mattéo Guendouzi unintentionally redirected John McGinn’s delivery from a short corner.
Zion Suzuki produced two strong saves to deny Vedat Muriqi, although Villa created a wealth of opportunities at the other end. Shortly after the half-hour, Jackson controlled Boubacar Kamara’s pass and finished decisively from the edge of the area. He repeated the feat six minutes before half-time. Oguz Aydin struck Villa’s crossbar between those goals, but the hosts’ 11th consecutive home victory in European competition already appeared secure.
Villa’s recent scoring run is a dramatic improvement on the opening weeks of the season, when they managed only one goal across their first four fixtures. They have now scored three or more goals in four of their previous six matches.
A home victory over Viking next Wednesday would leave Villa strongly placed to progress from the league phase, with nine points from three matches. Unai Emery said his team intends to be ambitious and play a leading role in the Champions League.
Manzambi was brought down by Ismail Yuksek midway through the second half, allowing Barkley to convert the resulting penalty and make it 4-0. Jackson later acknowledged that he had wanted to take the spot-kick in pursuit of a hat-trick, but stressed that securing the victory mattered most and hoped another opportunity would come.
The celebration after the fourth goal was quickly followed by more boos for Greenwood when he was substituted. By then, the match had long since ceased to be competitive.
Barkley soon scored Villa’s fifth through a deflected effort. Before Abraham converted Alysson’s cross to complete the six-goal win, however, attention was already beginning to shift towards Saturday evening’s visit to Newcastle United and the familiar autumn task of recovering from a difficult opening to the domestic campaign. Villa remain confident that Emery can guide them forward.
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