Nicolas Jackson celebrated his first-half double by making a cutting motion which proved fitting on a night Aston Villa found their clinical edge.
A first win at Villa Park this season, three first-half goals with six in total and a commanding Champions League victory – all in the biggest European win in their history.
Unai Emery said his side had been impacted by the rebuild of the North Stand after three winless games at home this season but they showed no signs of struggle against Fenerbahce.
A dominant victory against the Turkish visitors leaves Villa already well placed to reach the Champions League knockout phase and will add to their slowly growing momentum.
Questions had been building as Villa picked up just one point from their opening three Premier League home games this season even if Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Brentford ensured they avoided a third-straight home league defeat under Emery for the first time since February 2024.
Against Fenerbahce, they found a willing opponent. Scattered with former Premier League players, including Ederson, Nathan Ake, Romelu Lukaku and Nelson Semedo, the visitors would have been a formidable foe five years ago.
Instead, they folded quickly in the first half – despite Zion Suzuki’s two important saves – as Johan Manzambi and Jackson’s double put Villa in complete control.
The goals came in front of the skeleton of the North Stand, which will not have gone unnoticed as they had previously scored only once when attacking that end this season.
Ross Barkley’s double and Tammy Abraham’s late tap in added to the visitors’ woes and underlined Villa’s dominance.
They last scored so many in a 6-1 win over Brighton three years ago and had previously put five past Hibernian in the Europa Conference League in 2023.
The result provides another springboard and extends Villa’s recent form to just one defeat in their last seven games.
However, Emery’s rebuild will still take time. Before the international break, he described the opening five weeks of the campaign as similar to still being in pre-season with 10 new players to adapt following a chaotic summer of change.
Reflecting post match on how things are now progressing, he said: “They (Fenerbahce) didn’t deserve 6-0 but for us it was very important how we achieved the first win at home and how we managed with different players, our progression and step forward.
“There is still a lot of work to do and we need time, we are progressively getting better and it was a good step forward. In the Champions League the three points are important. We want to be a protagonist in the Champions League.
“Now the clear objective is against Newcastle because of the lack of points in the Premier League.”
The shoots of progress are already evident.
Manzambi glided past powerless Fenerbahce tackles, Ibraham Mbaye found space to exploit – even if he needs to improve – and Jackson was clinical.
Leon Goretzka made his debut as a late substitute and Suzuki remained commanding, continuing to slip into his role with ease.
“I think that’s what Emery has been talking about with the potential of this team and what they can do,” former Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov told TNT.
“There’s been a lot of questions from the start of the season, even for this game as well. People asking how far they can go in this competition but it seems as though they’re clicking together and there’s a flow to their game.
“The players that Emery has brought in are starting to perform really well and it’s a well-deserved win.”
