Jackson and Barkley doubles sink feeble Fenerbahce in record Aston Villa win

It may be a bit early for the pantomime season but the Holte End enjoyed acclaiming their heroes and villains as Aston Villa won at home for the first time this season in some style with their biggest European victory.

Every touch for Mason Greenwood, playing his first game in England in nearly five years, was booed, but even louder applause was reserved however for Aston Villa’s new-look attack. Switzerland international Johan Manzambi opened the scoring, celebrating his 21st birthday with a deflected shot in the 12th minute, before Nicolas Jackson put the game beyond Fenerbahce’s reach with two more goals before half-time.

Ibrahim Mbaye also contributed with a lively, pacy showing on the left wing. With Prince William cheering on from the stands, Ross Barkley made this a night to remember as he scored twice, the first goal from a penalty earned by Manzambi, to help banish any fears about playing in front of the demolished North Stand.

“Greenwood, Greenwood, what’s the score,” echoed around the three-quarters full Villa Park. Chants of a less salubrious nature were also given regular renditions. This was Greenwood’s first game in this country since he played in Manchester United’s 1-0 win against West Ham in January 2022.

Greenwood was charged in 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the case in February 2023 after key witnesses withdrew their involvement and new material came to light. The player had denied the charges.

He had played for Marseille in a friendly against Villa 15 months ago, when he allegedly spat at Amadou Onana and had a spat with Tyrone Mings. So it was no surprise when his name was booed as the teams were announced and at every subsequent involvement.

Far more palatable was the freedom with which Villa, who had previously failed to win at home this season, played, on a night when the pre-match claret and blue sparkles were matched by the fireworks. Jackson now has five goals for Unai Emery’s team since signing from Chelsea for £65m in the summer.

It was Manzambi who got the show on the road, composing himself to score his second goal for the club after Mattéo Guendouzi had inadvertently headed on John McGinn’s cross following a short corner.

Zion Suzuki twice saved well from Vedat Muriqi but Villa created umpteen chances themselves. Jackson, collecting Boubacar Kamara’s pass, struck home cleanly from the edge of the penalty area just after the half-hour mark before repeating the trick six minutes before the interval. In between, Oguz Aydin shot against the Villa bar, but, truth be told, Villa’s 11th successive home win in European competitions already looked safely banked.

Villa’s free-scoring spell is in stark contrast to their start to the season, when they only managed one goal in their opening four games. Now they have scored at least three times in four of their past six matches.

Should they beat Viking next Wednesday, as would be expected, Villa would be on their way to likely qualification.

So perhaps it was little surprise that the second half was played at training-ground pace for long spells. Villa had conceded four of their five goals in three previous winless home games in front of the empty North Stand, and seemed more intent on keeping a clean sheet for the second half than busting a gut to score.

Mbaye did sprint from one penalty area to the other, exchanging a one-two with Jackson en route, following a Fenerbahce corner before seeing his shot well saved.

Then Manzambi earned the penalty midway through the second half, when he was tripped by Ismail Yuksek, from which Barkley made it 4-0. The cheers that followed that were matched by the jeers for Greenwood as he was substituted. The pantomime was over as a contest, even if Barkley swiftly added a fifth with a deflected shot.

Suzuki, the home goalkeeper, had to tip over Aydin’s fierce shot five minutes from time but even before Tammy Abraham turned in Alysson’s cross for the sixth goal, Villa fans’ minds were starting to turn to Saturday evening’s trip to Newcastle United and the perennial autumnal challenge of resurrecting a difficult start to the league season. In Emery they trust.