BIRMINGHAM, England -- Aston Villa's emphatic 6-0 win over Fenerbahce on Wednesday night is proof the rebuilding job Unai Emery is overseeing has rock-solid foundations.
It's been a shaky start to the season. This is a club going through a transitional phase. Several key first-team players left in the summer, leaving Emery the job of moulding the team's new spine on the go. The North Stand lies empty as it goes through its revamp. But football doesn't wait and Villa aren't up for treading water. This was a statement victory as Villa got their first home win of the season and with it a huge mental boost and proof the latest iteration of Villa under Emery is on sturdy ground.
The build-up to Wednesday's match focused on Villa's patchy form this term and whether this Champions League clash could be the fillip to get them going. They are 16th in the Premier League with one win from six. But with this clinical performance against Fenerbahce they are two from two in Europe and this should be the springboard to get their league form off and going.
Villa's home form was one of the key pillars of Emery's success since taking charge of the club. From November 2022 to January 2026 they lost eight of their 61 home matches. But since the turn of the year, in the league, they've won just five of their 13 games at Villa Park.
Aston Villa are redeveloping Villa Park's North Stand to increase the overall capacity of the stadium to more than 50,000. Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
So with their home form not as formidable as it once was, the emphasis was on building some fear factor back at Villa Park. And all that with a North Stand which had a grand total of five people in it at kick off: one camera operator and four builders. Three of the four construction workers must be Birmingham City or West Brom fans as just one celebrated Johan Manzambi's opener after 12 minutes. It was a deflected effort, but it was just their second goal this season in front of the empty terraces.
Emery said in the week missing those 7,000 supporters is a hindrance, while right-back Matty Cash said it's "different" to have that end of the ground an empty bank of concrete, but followed that quickly by emphasising this can be no excuse for their home of defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, and a draw with Brentford.
But they are clearly getting used to attacking a wall of empty seats and rubble as by half-time they'd scored three in front of the solo celebrating builder. These two were from Nicolas Jackson, one of the several new faces brought in by Emery in the summer to replace the gems who led them to the Europa League last season.
Villa signed nine new players and a further two on loan in the last window as they rebuilt after a summer exodus which saw Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Lucas Digne, Emiliano Martínez and Youri Tielemens all leave. In their place have come new Villa heroes: they're already singing Manzambi and Jackson's names here. Zion Suzuki is already a crowd favourite while Ibrahim Mbaye has the deft touches and darting, daring runs to thrill and have the Villa Park faithful on their feet.
Watching the team gel on Wednesday night and the fluidity of their movement is testament to the recruitment done here, but also Emery's skills at both individual and collective management. The backbone of this team has needed a complete rebuild; vertebrae by vertebrae have required fusing together.
The mixture of old and new was enough to put together a comprehensive performance. Manzambi's deflected opener came from a weak headed clearance from Matteo Guendouzi as he had time to set himself and score thanks to a little help from Milan Skriniar to divert it past Éderson. Fenerbahce had their chances, with Mason Greenwood's every touch booed on what was his first match back in England after leaving Manchester United in August 2023. He had one shot on target which was well-saved by Suzuki but they needed their new 'keeper to spring into action to stop Vedat Muriqi on two further occasions.
Unai Emery's new-look Aston Villa team is starting to gel. Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
But any nerves were quickly calmed by Jackson's double. Boubacar Kamara did brilliantly to tee up Jackson's first in the 31st minute as he wrestled the ball back to give Jackson space to finish clinically past Ederson and then Jackson made it two before the break. And Villa made it five in the second half thanks to a double from Ross Barkley. The first was from the penalty spot in the 68th minute after Manzambi was floored, with Barkley adding a second four minutes later thanks to a deflected effort from outside the box. And Tammy Abraham got in on the act on full time to make it six. Some evening.
Fenerbahce's array of stars both current and faded looked disjointed and unable to match the same pace and tempo which Villa set. Villa simply had too much verve and intensity, while their finishing was lethal in front of goal.
As nights go, this was near-perfect for Emery as his new-look side clicked. Manzambi was at the heart of everything they did well, with their recrafted spine solidifying under Emery the chief surgeon. After a summer of change, and a club going through the process of rebuilding their fortress, this was yet another memorable European night under the lights and further proof, if you ever needed it, of Emery's expert management.