The Emery effect: Villa join Europe’s elite

Aston Villa joined several European elites after Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Dutch side Feyenoord in the Europa League.

Second-half goals from Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn secured Unai Emery’s team another victory in the league phase of Europe’s second-tier competition, following last week’s 1-0 win over Bologna.

Although Robin van Persie’s team arguably deserved more on Thursday, the Premier League side secured maximum points to defeat the Dutch team, who sit atop the Eredivisie table after an unbeaten domestic start.

The victory means Villa are one of seven clubs with an unblemished record in the Europa League after two matchdays, but Emery’s team achieved even greater feats after their latest success. 

Villa outdo Premier League clubs, battle European heavyweights

According to Opta, Villa’s latest victory was their 16th in Europe since the 2023-24 season, surpassing every other Premier League club. 

Furthermore, the only clubs to outdo the East Midlands team on the continent are Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, who have won 19, 18 and 17 matches in that same period. 

While Villa’s record admittedly falls short compared to the aforementioned trio, considering the English side have only participated in the Champions League once in the past three seasons, their achievement is commendable since they had not competed in European competition for over a decade.

16 – Since they returned to major European competition in 2023-24, only Real Madrid (19), PSG (18) and Bayern Munich (17) have won more games in those competitions than Aston Villa (16). Visionaries. pic.twitter.com/MU9ix6T2Yv

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 2, 2025

Although it remains to be seen whether the Villans will secure the title under Emery, a four-time Europa League winner, they have made a strong start in the league phase, positioning themselves well for automatic qualification to the last 16 as one of the top eight teams.

Will Villa carry European form into Premier League?

After going six games across all competitions without a win at the start of this season, Emery’s team have gradually secured positive results domestically and in Europe.

That run included five winless Premier League matches against Newcastle United, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton and Sunderland, but the West Midlands club beat Fulham 3-1 last weekend to end September with their first league victory.

Including their win over Bologna in Europe, Villa head into this weekend on a three-match winning streak across all competitions, keeping three clean sheets against Rossoblu and Feyenoord, which indicates a return to form.

Hosting Burnley on Sunday before the international break, Emery’s team aim to secure a fourth consecutive victory and their first back-to-back Premier League wins since late last season, when they won three in a row before losing to Manchester United on the final day.

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