Barcelona ended Aston Villa’s perfect start to the Champions League with a commanding 3–0 victory, adding another painful chapter to Unai Emery’s record against the Catalan club.
Hansi Flick’s side returned to winning ways in Europe at Camp Nou on Matchday 4 of the league phase, handing their English visitors a first defeat in this season’s competition.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute, pressing Villa’s defence and capitalising on a mistake in the build-up before firing into the far corner. The Spanish winger reached 14 Champions League goals before the age of 20, surpassing Kylian Mbappé’s previous record of 13.
Raphinha completed the scoring with a second-half double. He struck in the 52nd minute with a deflected effort following a pass from Fermín López, then added the third in the 64th minute, finishing João Cancelo’s cross in front of goal.
On his 55th birthday, Emery suffered his 22nd defeat in 31 meetings with Barcelona across all competitions, alongside three wins and six draws. The Catalan side remain one of the toughest opponents of the Spanish coach’s career.
His record at Camp Nou now stands at 15 defeats in 16 visits, with his only victory coming when Villarreal won 2–0 on the final day of the 2021–22 season. His Paris Saint-Germain side’s 6–1 defeat in Barcelona’s famous 2017 comeback remains his most painful memory at the ground.
Barcelona moved provisionally into second place with nine points, ahead of third-placed Villa on goal difference. Emery’s side remain on nine points after earlier victories over Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe and Viking.
Barcelona next travel to Azerbaijan to face Sabah on Wednesday, 25 November. Villa visit Galatasaray in Türkiye on Tuesday, 24 November, as Emery’s team look to get their European campaign back on track.
Before the international break, Barcelona visit Atlético Madrid for a major La Liga clash on Sunday, 8 November. Villa head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Premier League on the same day.
