Figure caption,

Villa maintain winning Champions League start with Viking victory

By
Chief football writer at Villa Park

Aston Villa continued the impressive start to their Champions League campaign with a comfortable victory over Viking at Villa Park.

Villa made it three wins from three, following their 6-0 demolition of Fenerbahce, by easing past the Norwegian side who pushed Bayern Munich all the way to draw 3-3 in the last round of matches.

Unai Emery's side were on top from the start, Viking living dangerously on several occasions before Ross Barkley turned in Ibrahim Mbaye's corner at the near post after 23 minutes.

Villa continued to dominate and doubled their lead eight minutes before half-time, Emiliano Buendia scoring from the spot after Alysson was tripped by Zlatko Tripic, the decision given after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.

Viking showed more attacking intent at the start of the second half, but Villa wrapped up another three points in the Champions League when the impressive Alysson's cross was turned into his own net by Henrik Heggheim after 62 minutes.

It paved the way for a comfortable conclusion as Villa closed out a victory that was another emphatic statement from the great European specialist Emery.

Alejandro Garnacho, who has struggled to make an impact at Villa since his loan move from Chelsea, emerged as a substitute to produce a lively cameo, almost getting on the scoresheet, only to see his shot saved by Viking keeper Arlid Ostbo.

Viking pulled a goal back with four minutes left, Peter Christiansen's acrobatic finish given by VAR after initially being ruled offside, but nothing could spoil another satisfying night for Emery, Villa's 12th consecutive home win in European competition.

How Aston Villa's players rated

Zion Suzuki: Not a huge amount to do, but what he did was done with confidence. Will have been disappointed to miss out on a clean sheet late on. 6

Victor Lindelof: Couple of decent clearances but hardly under any stress all night. 6

Tyrone Mings: Comfortable night as Villa dominated apart from brief Viking threats. 6

Pau Torres: Calm and composed at the back. Rarely troubled. 6

Ross Barkley: Clever near post header for Villa's opener and enjoyed the space he was given in midfield to show his creative side. 7

John McGinn: Typical "Super John McGinn" performance. At the heart of everything. Tackling. Passing. Just what Villa fans have come to love. 7

Alysson: Lively and dangerous out wide. Won the penalty for Emiliano Buendia to score and set up other dangerous opportunities. Real pace and deserved a goal for his efforts. 8

Ibrahim Mbaye: Sent in the perfect delivery from a corner for Barkley's opener and was always energetic. 6

Joao Gomes: Took a knock early but recovered. Solid in the midfield base, ambitious with his passing and saw a cross deflected on to the bar. 7

Emilianio Buendia: Creator. Should have scored with a first half header but coolly slotted home his penalty. 7

Nicolas Jackson: Often a threat but not on target this time. Should have scored with two early headers. 6

Substitutes:

Tammy Abraham (on 70, Jackson): No time to make a serious impact. 5

Leon Goretzka (on 70, Barkley): Brought on to secure the win with his experience. 6

Matty Cash (on 71, Joao Gomes): Barely anything to do. 5

Alejandro Garnacho (on 72, Mbiaye): Lively cameo. Could have had a goal. Might boost fragile confidence. 6

George Hemmings (on 75, Alysson):

Subs not used:

Bizot, Wright, Harwood-Bellis, Kamara, Maatsen, Bogarde.

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.

Player of the match

Number: 47 Alysson
Average rating 8.55
Number: 47 Alysson
Average Rating: 8.55
Number: 7 J. McGinn
Average Rating: 8.10
Number: 6 R. Barkley
Average Rating: 8.06
Number: 10 E. Buendía
Average Rating: 7.94
Number: 1 Z. Suzuki
Average Rating: 7.78
Number: 35 João Gomes
Average Rating: 7.76
Number: 3 V. Lindelöf
Average Rating: 7.65
Number: 19 I. Mbaye
Average Rating: 7.58
Number: 14 Pau Torres
Average Rating: 7.49
Number: 11 N. Jackson
Average Rating: 7.41
Number: 17 A. Garnacho
Average Rating: 7.28
Number: 5 T. Mings
Average Rating: 7.22
Number: 27 L. Goretzka
Average Rating: 7.08
Number: 2 M. Cash
Average Rating: 6.69
Number: 53 G. Hemmings
Average Rating: 6.59
Number: 18 T. Abraham
Average Rating: 6.54

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.