Aston Villa 3-1 Viking: Barkley opens decisive Champions League win

Aston Villa beat Viking 3-1 at Villa Park in the UEFA Champions League League Stage - 3, with the hosts leading 2-0 at half-time. The result extended Villa’s winning start to three games, while Viking remain without a win in the competition after three matches.

Barkley sets Villa on course

Ross Barkley opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, converting Ibrahim Mbaye’s assist to make it 1-0. Emiliano Buendía then doubled Villa’s advantage with a penalty in the 37th minute, leaving Unai Emery’s side in control at the interval.

The third goal arrived in the 62nd minute when Henrik Heggheim scored an own goal for Aston Villa, making it 3-0. Viking reduced the deficit in the 84th minute through Peter Christiansen, assisted by Kristoffer Askildsen, but Villa held on for the 3-1 win.

Villa’s control reflected in the numbers

Aston Villa produced 21 total shots to Viking’s 10 and registered 10 shots on goal compared with Viking’s 3. Their expected-goals figure was 2.75 against Viking’s 0.81, while Villa also had 54% possession and completed 469 accurate passes. Viking’s 46% possession did not lead to a sustained comeback. Neither team received a yellow or red card.

Table position and standout display

In the provisional table after this match, Villa are ranked #2 with 9 points from 3 games, level with leader Paris Saint Germain, while Viking are ranked #33 with 1 points. Barkley was the standout performer, earning an 8.2 rating, scoring once and recording 1 shot on target.