Aston Villa beat Viking 3-1 to keep their perfect Champions League start
Ross Barkley, an Emiliano Buendía penalty and an own goal gave Aston Villa a third league-phase win from three, ahead of Saturday's visit of Premier League leaders Manchester City.
By MatchPulse Editorial Team
Match played: Wednesday 21 October 2026, UEFA Champions League league phase, Villa Park, Birmingham.
Aston Villa made it three wins from three in the Champions League league phase with a 3-1 victory over Norwegian side Viking at Villa Park on Wednesday. Unai Emery's team were never seriously troubled and now have nine points from a possible nine.
Barkley and Buendía build the lead
Villa took the lead in the 23rd minute when Ross Barkley headed in from a corner delivered by Ibrahim Mbaye. The second goal arrived on 37 minutes. After a VAR review, Viking's Zlatko Tripic was penalised for a foul on Alysson, and Emiliano Buendía scored from the penalty spot.
Comfortable second half
Villa extended their lead shortly after the hour. Alysson's effort at the end of a quick counter-attack was deflected in by Viking defender Henrik Heggheim for an own goal. Viking pulled one back late on through a volley by Peter Christiansen, but the goal had no bearing on the result.
Goals: Barkley 23', Buendía penalty 37', Heggheim own goal 62', Christiansen 84' (Viking).
Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, Emery said: "We played a very safe match," and added that the team were "so happy" with how they were collecting points.
A perfect start in Europe
The win follows a 3-2 victory over Club Brugge and a 6-0 win against Fenerbahçe in Villa's first two league-phase matches. After three rounds, Villa are level on points at the top of the league-phase table with nine, putting them in a strong position to finish in the top eight and qualify directly for the round of 16.
From Europa League winners to Champions League contenders
Villa are in this season's Champions League as holders of the Europa League. On 20 May 2026 they beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Istanbul, the club's first Europa League title and its second major European trophy after the 1982 European Cup. Buendía, who scored Wednesday's penalty, was named man of the match in that final.
Analysis: Villa's European form contrasts with their domestic position. Before this weekend they are 12th in the Premier League with eight points from seven matches, although their most recent league game ended in a 1-0 win at Newcastle. The calm way Villa managed this game, controlling it once ahead and conceding only late on, suggests a team gaining confidence, and Emery will hope that carries into the Premier League.
What comes next
The test that follows is much harder: Villa host Manchester City, who have won all seven of their Premier League matches, at Villa Park on Saturday 24 October with a 12:30 BST kick-off. A Villa win would lift them to 11 points.
