Jackson steps up again as Aston Villa revival continues — SkimNews
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- Aston Villa demolished Fenerbahce 6-0 in the Champions League, their first win at Villa Park this season and the club's biggest-ever European victory in front of the unfinished North Stand they had struggled at all campaign.
- Nicolas Jackson opened his account with a first-half double that put Villa 3-0 up by the break, with Johan Manzambi also scoring before Ross Barkley's brace and Tammy Abraham's late tap-in completed the rout.
- Ross Barkley took a pre-arranged penalty that denied Jackson a hat-trick, though Jackson told TNT Sports he 'hoped next time I'll get the hat-trick' and was otherwise content with the result.
- Jackson's record £65m move from Chelsea (via a Bayern Munich loan) was designed to replace Ollie Watkins after his £50m departure to Al-Hilal, and his five goals this season have eased the transition Emery previously described as a 'rebuild' with 10 new players.
- Unai Emery said the result gave Villa 'three points' and 'a step forward' in the Champions League but stopped short of declaring the rebuild complete, telling reporters: 'There is still a lot of work to do and we need time.'
- Stiliyan Petrov told TNT that Villa's new signings are 'starting to perform really well' and there is 'a flow to their game,' consistent with Sky Sports' framing of Jackson's double as the headline angle of a comfortable win.
Why it matters: Villa had taken just one point from their opening three Premier League home games and scored only once attacking the North Stand end all season, so a six-goal demolition in front of those same scaffolding seats fundamentally resets the narrative around Emery's squad as they head to Newcastle Saturday looking to translate European form into Premier League points.
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