Villa tame Viking to stay perfect in Champions League

Aston Villa secured a perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a convincing 3-1 victory over Norwegian side Viking at Villa Park on Wednesday. Midfielder Ross Barkley put Villa ahead in the 23rd minute with a well-worked goal after Ibrahim Mbaye's corner. Ememoy's team doubled their lead in the 37th minute when penalty spot was awarded to Villa for a foul on Alysson, which was converted by Emiliano Buendia.

An own goal by Henrik Heggheim shortly after the hour mark sealed the result in Villa's favor. The win extended Villa's winning streak to five matches across all competitions, a remarkable turnaround for the team following a slow start to the season. The loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier in the week was the only blemish on Villa's otherwise impressive run.

The win sees Villa firmly in contention for a top-eight finish, which would qualify them for the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition.