The Aston Villa boss pushed and shouted at Youri Tielemans during the Europa League tie in Turkey
Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa, clashes with Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Fenerbahce SK and Aston Villa FC
Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa, clashes with Youri Tielemans of Aston Villa during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Fenerbahce SK and Aston Villa FC(Image: )
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Unai Emery was asked why he pushed Youri Tielemans after substituting the midfielder in Aston Villa’s win at Fenerbahce.
Jadon Sancho scored the only goal of the game, burying a header past former Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.
After opening his account for the club, Sancho later saw an effort blocked off the line as Villa were afforded plenty of space in transition to double their lead, but that second goal proved elusive.
Thanks to a strong defensive performance, Villa managed to leave with all three points. They also moved into the top two of the league-phase table after FC Midtjylland drew with Brann in Norway.
However, after the win, a clip went viral showing Tielemans being pushed and shouted at by Emery after he was replaced by George Hemmings in second-half added time.
The midfielder put his hand out for Emery to shake, but instead, the Villa boss shouted at him and shoved him away.
In his post-match press conference, Emery was asked why he pushed Tielemans and what he said to him.
“He is like my son,” Emery simply replied.
Speaking more generally about the match, Emery said: “We can speak about a lot of things. I am so, so happy today. I am happy how we competed and achieved three points.
“We are in the day seven and in the top eight. This competition, we are respecting it and we are getting points.
“There are some circumstances which don't help us, but we are getting balance in everything. We have the last week to complete the structure of our squad and set everyone focusing on the match on Sunday and then Thursday against Salzburg.
“After the window we can focus on the season on the Premier League, Europa League and the FA Cup.”
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