Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League again is a new high under Emery… so far
Jacob Tanswell
May 16, 2026
The Champions League anthem echoed gloriously around Villa Park.
The final word — “champion” — was stretched out and sung in unison by every home supporter.
Aston Villa, a triumph of consistency and endurance, had secured qualification for Europe’s premier competition for the second time in three seasons, having painfully missed out on goal difference last year.
Players bathed in the accomplishment during a lap of appreciation. Unai Emery, who, so usually focused on the next game and invariably heads straight for the tunnel, allowed himself to enjoy. He marched towards the Holte End, taking in all the adoration from the fans who worship him.
“We are going to play for you, for a trophy,” Emery said.
Peering into the crowd, he finished with a flourish, bellowing into the microphone, “UP THE VILLA!”
Once they returned to the dressing room, the team posed for a photo, with coaches, backroom staff and co-owner, Nassef Sawiris.
Friday’s 4-2 victory also meant he had finally beaten Liverpool as Villa manager. In doing so, he had gone through all of the Premier League’s ‘big six’, even if his team now have a strong argument to be firmly ensconced among them. It just so happened to be his 600th win as a manager; it is astounding that Emery was not considered one of the six nominees for Premier League manager of the year.
This was the perfect send-off for Istanbul, where Villa face Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Home supporters were singing about Istanbul in the final throes, knowing that the opportunity of silverware — a first major trophy in three decades and a first European final in 44 years — will never be greater in this era of brilliance.
Villa staff enjoyed a five per cent pay rise after qualifying for the Champions League in the 2023-24 campaign and a further three per cent for a Europa League finish last season. This Villa side has elevated a club beyond its expected growth, founded on mental toughness and a combination of excellence within the coaching and core group of players.
“To keep this level… ‘wow’,” said Emery in his press conference, appearing more relieved and delighted than ever before.
“We’ve been through thick and thin together,” said Watkins. “There is an English core which has been here since day one. The team is pretty much the same since Dean Smith was here. We’ve been through highs and lows together.”
Together, the latest achievement — until Wednesday at least — is definitely the best of Emery’s Villa. Very few thought a top-five finish was feasible after a turbulent summer, no goal in the first four games, and no win in the first five.
“Injuries, no a f…penalty for us in one year, biggest investment in the history for the bigger budget clubs, playing Thursday and Sunday 2 pm… well CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!!!” said director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, on X. “No excuses culture, a great group of committed players and the best manager (yes EPL the best manager). UTV. Next stop Istanbul!!!! See you there lads!!!! One more push, more desire and ambition than ever!!!”
Villa sources stated at the start of the season that Morgan Rogers and Watkins would have a heavy burden on them to provide the goals.
With both hitting double figures, they have produced under pressure. Emery had been demanding more goals from other areas and better incision inside the box, yet it was startling that Villa managed to record 11 straight wins across all competitions over the winter, with Watkins, their long-running talisman, scoring just two league goals by December. He has since come back with vengeance, hitting 11 in his previous 14 appearances.
In many ways, Villa’s response to Virgil van Dijk’s second-half equaliser is what, fundamentally, explains their success. Their resilience and ability to recover from setbacks have defined Villa’s campaign.
Speak to those around the team and they will admit there is, at this stage of the campaign, fatigue among the players. Perhaps some even had one eye on ensuring they did not pick up an injury ahead of the final. Yet, when they needed to mobilise and fight back after Van Dijk scored, players found the energy and ripped Liverpool apart through pace, directness, and ruthlessness in transition.
It has been a wildly fluctuating season, fraught with emotion. After a terrible start, from October to the end of January, Villa won more games than any other Premier League side (13). At the opposite end of the scale and before Liverpool’s visit, only four sides had accrued fewer points than Villa (13) since the start of February.
“The season we started poorly,” Emery said. “We were fantastic for three months, then again we were down, not feeling comfortable or confident, but the consistency and the demands always were high, and we never gave up.”
Villa are still relatively new to the Champions League party, though their participation is vital to keep fuel in the tank. Financial restrictions are still expected to be a challenge this summer, limiting Villa’s ability to spend and increasing their openness to sell. They will have more room for manoeuvre with Champions League revenues, with Villa’s commercial income, particularly potential sponsorship deals, significantly aided.
Emery’s team, so far, has shown a way to battle against such limitations. Financial sanctions were viewed as stifling progress last summer, and led to an increasingly stagnant mood setting in. This was an ageing squad, with many uncertain futures. It is hard to remember now or to mock, but there was a feeling that direct rivals — such as Newcastle United — had strengthened and were stretching beyond them. Sporting director Monchi left, owing to developing tensions with Emery.
This seeped onto the pitch. Villa were running less and sprinting less. Noises from the dressing room suggested players were behind the manager, but there was a crisis of confidence, and no one could put a finger on the main issue.
Emery has largely worked with the same players for three years, and through his collective structure, he has maximised their abilities. The only response he and his team had to those troubles was to train harder and trust the principles of work that had delivered previous success.
“Today is the summary, because this team, this atmosphere, this result is when we are feeling strong,” said Emery. “I am so happy, so proud of every Aston Villa supporter, every worker, every player, every coach.”
It was apt that Watkins, a player who has been criticised heavily this season and who Emery has repeatedly defended, scored twice. Similarly, John McGinn’s stunning goal, his team’s fourth, with Villa’s captain seemingly at the epicentre of any big game, or any big moment in the club’s recent history. The goal was sublime, from outside the box and bending into the far corner. Of course, it was from outside the box — defying underlying metrics and scoring from long range has been one of the themes of Villa’s season.
They will now head to Istanbul in search of footballing immortality. As staff say, players have one more match to make themselves legends. Achieving Champions League qualification beforehand, though, represents another extraordinary feat.
