Aston Villa produced a commanding 6-0 victory over Fenerbahce on Wednesday to make it two wins from two in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
The result, secured with three goals in each half, was the club’s biggest victory in European competition, according to the record cited. Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both scored twice as Unai Emery’s side overwhelmed their Turkish opponents.
Johan Manzambi opened the scoring after 12 minutes, reacting quickest when Fenerbahce failed to clear a corner. The visitors tried to respond, but Emiliano Suzuki denied Vedat Muriqi on several occasions.
Fenerbahce came close to an equaliser when Oguz Ayd?n struck the crossbar in the 34th minute, but their failure to take their chances proved costly. Aston Villa soon extended their lead through two goals from Jackson in the space of eight minutes.
The Senegalese forward was set up by Boubacar Kamara for the second goal in the 31st minute, before adding another in the 39th minute following a combination with Barkley. Aston Villa went into the interval 3-0 ahead.
The home side continued to control the game after the restart and added three more goals in the second half.
Barkley converted a penalty in the 68th minute after Ismail Yuksek fouled Manzambi. The English midfielder then completed his double four minutes later, with his shot taking a deflection after Ibrahim Mbaye had created the opportunity with good work on the left.
Mbaye’s contribution helped Aston Villa maintain their dominance as Fenerbahce struggled to turn their limited openings into goals. Suzuki continued to provide security in goal as the visitors found no way back into the match.
Tammy Abraham completed the scoring in the 90th minute, meeting a cross from Alysson Edward to round off Aston Villa’s record European win.
The victory gives Aston Villa a perfect start after the opening two matchdays of the competition and provides confidence for the remainder of their European campaign. Fenerbahce must now respond quickly, with their next European fixture against Slavia Prague.