It almost felt like Aston Villa were trolling Liverpool as someone inside this throbbing stadium pressed play and the operatic Champions League anthem blared over the speakers. Villa had just qualified in style, a stirring victory superbly spearheaded by Ollie Watkins that exposed the kind of blind spots that have undermined Arne Slot’s meek title defence. For Villa, this was the perfect tonic before Wednesday’s Europa League final in Istanbul and for Unai Emery, arguably his greatest triumph yet given the financial muscle of their rivals. Well, for a few days at least.
Somehow, Emery was left off the Premier League’s six-strong manager of the season shortlist. Afterwards Villa basked in the achievement and Emery yelled into a microphone: “Up the Villa!” And then: “We’re going to Istanbul!” It was a rare break from Emery’s cold laser focus; after the final whistle he shook hands with Slot and clenched his left fist in celebration as he marched towards the tunnel.
