Aston Villa made it three wins from three in the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Viking at Villa Park on Wednesday night. Ross Barkley's header and Emiliano Buendia's penalty put Unai Emery's side in control, a Henrik Heggheim own goal made it three, and Peter Christiansen's late strike — allowed after a VAR check — was only a consolation for the Norwegian champions.
Barkley and Buendia put Villa in charge
Viking arrived with a reputation earned the hard way — their 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich on Matchday 2 was one of the results of the league phase — and Emery treated them with total respect, naming a strong side for a fixture shaped by Viking's two-manager revolution. Villa's quality told midway through the half.
On 23 minutes Ibrahim Mbaye crossed and Barkley rose to head in the opener — another chapter in the midfielder's remarkable renaissance under Emery. Fourteen minutes later Buendia doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Villa went in at the break 2-0 up and cruising, as NBC Sports' live updates noted, with a perfect record within touching distance.
Buendia was everywhere: seven shots, three on target, and a constant menace between the lines, while Nicolas Jackson's movement stretched a Viking back line that had defended so heroically in Norway. Villa finished with 19 shots to Viking's 10, and but for goalkeeper Arild Ostbo the margin would have been wider.
Own goal settles it, Christiansen grabs a consolation
The third goal, on 62 minutes, carried a touch of fortune: Heggheim turned the ball into his own net to make it 3-0 and end the contest. Emery used the cushion to rest legs — five substitutions, including Leon Goretzka, Tammy Abraham and Alejandro Garnacho — with Saturday's huge Premier League meeting with Manchester City already in mind, as The Times' live blog recorded.
Viking, to their credit, never stopped. On 84 minutes Christiansen finished from Kristoffer Askildsen's pass; the goal was initially disallowed for offside, then allowed to stand after a VAR review. There were no cards of any colour in a clean, open game — a rarity on a Champions League night — and Zion Suzuki's three saves were all the work Villa's goalkeeper had to do. Erik Botheim and Zlatko Tripic had carried the fight in flashes for the Norwegians, but the gulf in depth told: Emery could introduce senior internationals from his bench, while Viking's resistance rested on Ostbo's gloves and sheer organisation.
So what: Villa perfect on nine, Viking stuck on one
Villa join Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool on nine points at the top of the league-phase table, with a goal difference that strengthens their hold on a top-eight place and a bye into the last 16. Three wins from three, nine goals scored — Emery, a European specialist, has built the story of the league phase so far.
The test now stiffens dramatically: Villa travel to Barcelona on Matchday 4 on 3 November, a fixture that will show how far this side can really go. Viking stay on one point — that famous Bayern draw — and host Sabah on 4 November knowing only a win keeps their play-off hopes realistic. Their adventure continues, but the margin for error has gone.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Villa are no longer the surprise package — they are a problem for everybody. Emery rotated, rested and still won comfortably, Barkley's Indian summer rolled on, and Villa Park is becoming a fortress in this competition. The Barcelona trip will define their ceiling, but right now the ceiling looks very high indeed. Can Villa really finish in the top eight? Let us know in the comments.
