Unai Emery says Aston Villa still have “work to do” to reach Barcelona’s level after a 3-0 defeat at Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday ended their 100% start in the Champions League. It was also his 55th birthday.
Lamine Yamal scored after seven minutes, finishing a move that started with Villa’s own goal-kick. Raphinha added two goals early in the second half. Villa had won all three of their previous league-phase games, against Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Viking, and went into the night with nine points. Barcelona, the La Liga leaders, moved above them in the table. Villa are provisionally third.
“Overall, we are competing fantastically in the Champions League, although playing the match we played we have work to do to get to this level,” Emery said. “We were sometimes achieving it and close to scoring goals but we must be ruthless in the attacking third. 3-0 is maybe more than we deserved but we accept the defeat.”
A costly start and missed chances
The opening goal was the kind Emery’s style of playing out from the back leaves room for. From a goal-kick, goalkeeper Zion Suzuki passed short to Joao Gomes. Pedri pressed the Brazilian midfielder, and Gomes’ loose pass went straight to Yamal, who scored.
Villa still had enough chances in the first half to trouble a Barcelona side that had not kept a Champions League clean sheet in 18 games, going back to April 2025. Matty Cash, Gomes and Johan Manzambi, who had two chances, all went close. With better finishing, Villa could have been level or ahead at half-time.
Barcelona were also missing players. Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart were all absent, and 20-year-old Brian Farinas made his Champions League debut at right-back in only his second start for the club. Villa could not take advantage. Raphinha’s quick double after the break settled the game and took him to 19 goals in 13 matches this season.
Raphinha dedicated both goals to the family of Jesus de Miguel, the Tenerife forward who died on Tuesday morning after an on-field collision the night before. “Sorry, tonight I don’t want to talk about football,” he said. “It’s clear that I want to dedicate this win to the fans, but I want to send a lot of strength to Jesus de Miguel’s family.”
Emery stands by Gomes and his style
Emery did not blame Gomes for the opening goal. He also defended the build-up approach that led to it.
“Joao Gomes started not very confidently with the ball, not only for the error he made but that was part of our style, so I’m not blaming him,” he said. “It was a good experience for him as well at the highest level with how they are pressing. It’s so intense. We have worked over four years together and we’ve made those mistakes before and we will always overcome those mistakes and improve.”
He called the night a benchmark rather than a setback. “The test was definitely not in the level we want to achieve but there are a lot of things to learn, a lot of experience for the players and us,” he said. “It is giving me a lot of information to analyse and compete at this level.”
Captain John McGinn, whose only previous visit to Camp Nou had been a stadium tour, said much the same to TNT Sports. “Barcelona made the right decisions at the right times and scored really good goals,” he said. “I think we are competitive against teams at this level, we have shown that whether it is Bayern Munich or PSG. Tonight was a huge learning curve for us.”
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick praised the opposition. “Emery is one of the best coaches in Europe,” he said. “He has a clear idea of how to play in offence and defence, and I appreciate a lot of what I see.”
An old problem for Emery, and what comes next
Barcelona have been a difficult opponent for Emery throughout his career. He has now lost 15 of his 16 matches at Camp Nou and has won three of his 31 meetings with the club. The best-known of those defeats came in 2017, when Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit to beat his Paris St-Germain side 6-1, the comeback known as La Remontada. Before the game he played down that history: “One more match. Just one more match.”
Villa were trying to become the first English team to win at Camp Nou in almost 20 years. They did not manage it, but the defeat does not change their position much. Nine points from four games leaves them on course for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the last 16. That is a strong record for a club Emery took over when it was three points above the Premier League relegation zone. Since then he has taken Villa into the Champions League and won the Europa League last season.
- Result: Barcelona 3-0 Aston Villa (Champions League league phase, Spotify Camp Nou, 3 November 2026)
- Scorers: Lamine Yamal (7), Raphinha (2, second half)
- Villa’s record: won 3, lost 1, 9 points, provisionally third
- Next for Villa: Manchester United (away), Premier League, Sunday
Emery’s next task is to stop the defeat affecting the league. Villa go to Old Trafford on Sunday, and the finishing they lacked in Barcelona would make a difference there.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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