Villa lone Premier League survivors in Europa League as Emery makes history in Lille
A 1-0 win in Lille, a record-breaking 100th victory — Emery's Europa League masterclass continues.
Aston Villa are through to the Europa League round of 16 second leg in the driving seat after a 1-0 win away at Lille — and in doing so, stood alone as the only Premier League side to win in European football this week.
It was a timely reminder of just how far Villa have come under Unai Emery, who marked the occasion by becoming the fastest manager to reach 100 wins for the club — achieving the milestone in 181 games at a 55.2% win rate, well ahead of previous records set by Joe Mercer (43%) and Ron Saunders (46%).
In the Europa League, of course, Emery is in his element. The Spaniard has won the competition four times — three consecutively with Sevilla and once with Villarreal in 2021 — and Villa are now considered among the favourites to go all the way. A first leg away win in Lille has only strengthened that belief.