Aston Villa welcomed Viking at Villa Park earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a win at home in the UEFA Champions League. The Villans made a bright start to the contest and got their noses ahead in the 23rd minute when Ross Barkley found the back of the net. Emiliano Buendia doubled his team's lead from the penalty spot in the 37th minute as Unai Emery's men went into the half-time break 2-0 up on the scoreline.
Henrik Heggheim scored an unfortunate own goal for the visitors in the 62nd minute. However, Peter Christiansen got a goal back for them in the 84th minute. The contest finished with Aston Villa securing an impressive 3-1 win at Villa Park.
Let's take a look at how each Aston Villa player fared during the clash against Viking.
GK: Zion Suzuki – 6.5/10
He made a few solid saves at the back, but there was no clean sheet for him tonight.
RB: Joao Gomes – 7/10
Gomes performed his defensive duties well and made one good run with the ball.
CB: Victor Lindelof – 7/10
He made a lot of important clearances inside his half but failed to keep a clean sheet.
CB: Pau Torres – 7/10
Torres kept things solid on the defensive end of the field for most of the game and was good on the ball.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Unai Emery, Manager of Aston Villa, looks on before dthe UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Aston Villa FC and Viking FK at Villa Park on October 21, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
LB: Tyrone Mings – 6.5/10
He cleared his lines when he could, but struggled to influence the game going forward.
CM: John McGinn – 7/10
McGinn made a few key chances for his teammates to score and came back to defend when he could.
CM: Ross Barkley – 8/10
He cleared the danger when needed and managed to score in the 23rd minute.
RW: Alysson – 8/10
Alysson caused a lot of headaches for his marker and did everything but score tonight.
CAM: Emiliano Buendia – 7/10
He was always willing to have a strike at goal and managed to convert his penalty in the 37th minute.
LW: Ibrahim Mbaye – 8/10
Mbaye was a constant menace in the final third and has an assist to show for his efforts.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 7.5/10
He was a real threat up top but failed to register a goal.
RB: Matty Cash – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
ST: Tammy Abraham – 6/10
He made one good run with the ball.
CM: Leon Goretzka – 6/10
He engineered one decent chance going forward.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho – 6/10
Garnacho had a few strikes at goal.
He struggled to influence the game.
