The Unai Emery revolution at Aston Villa reached glorious new heights in midweek, as the Villans beat six-time European champions Bayern Munich 1-0 to make it two wins from two in the UEFA Champions League. Described as a “statement” performance by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, the result is made all the more impressive by the fact that Villa were only promoted to the top-flight five years ago and were floundering in a relegation battle before Emery’s appointment in late 2022
The Unai Emery revolution at Aston Villa reached glorious new heights in midweek, as the Villans beat six-time European champions Bayern Munich 1-0 to make it two wins from two in the UEFA Champions League. Described as a “statement” performance by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, the result is made all the more impressive by the fact that Villa were only promoted to the top-flight five years ago and were floundering in a relegation battle before Emery’s appointment in late 2022. That’s all changed now, and since the Spaniard’s first game in charge was a home victory over Manchester United, the home faithful will be confident of a repeat as they look to keep pace with the early leaders in the league table. Indeed, only Arsenal have beaten Villa in the Premier League so far this term (W4, D1), making this their best start to a campaign after six matches since 2008/09! Manchester United were crowned Premier League champions for a third successive season that year - a far cry from their plight now. Another chastening week has perennially under-fire manager Erik ten Hag sweating over his Old Trafford future, as the Red Devils followed a demoralising 3-0 defeat to Tottenham by squandering a 2-0 lead against Porto, eventually needing a stoppage-time equaliser to escape with a point. United enter the round a lowly 13th in the Premier League standings (W2, D1, L3), so facing one of their favourite opponents historically could help lift the mood. Just one defeat from their last 25 Premier League visits to Villa Park may give beleaguered away fans a shred of belief (W16, D8), while United’s 40 H2H wins in this competition is just one shy of the all-time record for one side against another, a record they also hold against Everton. Players to watch: Villa super sub Jhon Durán was the hero on Wednesday with the late winner - the fifth time this season he’s netted decisively beyond the hour mark. Opposing number nine Rasmus Højlund scored home and away in a pair of victories against Villa last season, and was on target on Thursday in what was his first start of the campaign. Hot stat: Since the start of last season, United have conceded 2+ goals in 31 matches across all competitions - more than any side in the Premier League. Written by 90 Live
