Aston Villa rode a fast start to secure their first trophy since 2001 and their first major European trophy since 1982, ending a 44-year drought by lifting the Europa League title in a 3-0 victory over German side Freiburg on Wednesday. It’s the fifth Europa League title for Villa manager Unai Emery, who has proven time and time again that he’s the master of this competition, winning it with a third team as Villa join his triumphs with Sevilla and Villarreal.
It’s only the second final that Freiburg have ever played, and while they held strong for 40 minutes, it didn’t take long for Villa’s attack to overwhelm them. Youri Tielemans couldn’t have picked a better time to score his second goal of the season as Aston Villa’s first half in the Europa League final was an edition of bangers only. Tielemans opened the scoring in the 41st minute of play before Emiliano Buendia doubled Villa’s lead just eight minutes later with a stunning shot of his own.
While Villa did pick up two yellow cards in the first half of play, that two-goal lead was too much to come back from as Villa kept the party rolling in the second half. Buendia became the provider, setting up 23-year-old Morgan Rodgers for a goal of his own that put the tie firmly out of hand.
During what has been an extremely successful season for Villa under Emery, after finishing second in the league phase due to goal difference, they were able to ride that form, allowing only two goals in the knockout phase of the tournament, turning in dominant performances from start to finish. John McGinn and Ollie Watkins may have been their star scorers during the tournament, but in the final, it was their team strength that was put on display, with three different scorers putting the ball in the back of the net and creating a situation that will add intrigue on the final day of Premier League play on Sunday.
As Villa have secured a top-five place through their league position, their match with Manchester City, alongside Liverpool hosting Brentford, will determine how many Premier League teams will be in the Champions League next season.
What does this mean for Champions League qualification?
England will be rooting for Aston Villa to finish in fifth place so they can get the most teams into the Champions League as possible. That’s because after winning the Europa League, if Villa finish in fourth place, earning a UCL place via the league and Europa League, that extra qualifying place would then go to the Champions League club in the qualifying rounds with the highest UEFA Club coefficient. If Villa finish in fifth, since the Premier League earned an extra European Performance Spot guaranteeing fifth place a UCL place as well, then the Champions League spot would go to the sixth-place team in the league, which is currently Bournemouth.
Villa are currently fourth in the table, and as a result, Liverpool need to beat Brentford and Aston Villa need to lose to City for sixth place to get into UCL.
