The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from Europa League victory at Fenerbahçe

Villa confirmed their place in the last 16 with a ballsy 1-0 win away in Istanbul

After a few minutes, supporters of most clubs might have feared the worst.

Aston Villa barely got a kick in the first five minutes of their Europa League match against Fenerbahçe. The home team had clearly been instructed by manager Domenico Tedesco to start with intensity and keep the crowd engaged, and that’s what they did until a mistake at the back offered Villa a foothold.

Morgan Rogers didn’t score from it but it was the beginning of Villa’s threat at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, a threat that increased after quarter of an hour as Villa started to put Unai Emery’s game plan into action.

This was Villa’s sixth win in seven Europa League fixtures. A late goal conceded by Midtjylland in western Norway means that Villa climb into second place behind Lyon.

If they beat Red Bull Salzburg next week, they’ll have home advantage for as long as they remain in the tournament.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions: