Emery takes positives - but Villa 'have work to do' to reach Barca level

Unai Emery punched the air in frustration at the Spotify Nou Camp.

It came from a place of disappointment and exasperation as his Aston Villa side let slip the opportunity of a result in their Champions League tie against Barcelona.

They had just fallen 2-0 behind in Spain, having tried to match the hosts blow-for-blow.

Raphinha's quick second-half double put the game out of reach after Lamine Yamal's opener, when Villa pressed the self-destruct button just seven minutes in.

It could have led to a collapse but, instead, they took the game to the Spanish champions during an engrossing first half, which could - and perhaps should - have yielded a leveller.

While defeat ended their 100% Champions League start after three wins, it gave Villa and boss Emery the chance to consider their progress.

Villa firmly believe they belong on this stage. After four years of improvement with Emery they have another chance to prove it.

They arrived in Spain with wins against Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and Viking, but this was their hardest test.

Emery, who celebrated his 55th birthday on Tuesday, wanted to use it as a barometer for their progress, to see how they compared with the current La Liga leaders and five-time European champions.

In the driving rain Villa could argue they matched Barca in the opening period and had it not been for Joao Gomes' glaring error that led to Lamine Yamal's strike, and poor finishing, they could have snatched the advantage.

Yet they fell short. They have been on the rise under Emery but last season's Europa League winners showed they are still not at the level to win in the Nou Camp.

The head coach would also deny it, but perhaps he had something to prove in this stadium which handed him his harshest lesson in the competition nine years ago.

In what became known as La Remontada [The Comeback], Barcelona recovered from 4-0 down from the first leg of their last-16 tie to beat Emery's Paris St-Germain side 6-1 in the home return and 6-5 on aggregate.

"One more match. Just one more match," said Emery when asked about it on Monday.

There was to be no Villa comeback on Tuesday night and Emery's record at the Nou Camp now stands at 15 defeats in 16 games and, in 31 attempts against Barca, he had won just three times.

He was able to field what was his strongest available team, but they created their own problems when Gomes' wretched pass gifted Lamine Yamal the crucial opener.

Emery, whose side were overtaken by second-placed Barcelona in the league phase table, added: "We are working for years together and we made mistakes like that but we have always overcome those mistakes. I am not blaming him."

The self-inflicted wound, though, failed to discourage Villa as they refused to lie down and accept a Barcelona victory.

Barca were without Andreas Christensen, Eric García and Xavi Espart, leaving them fragile in defence, with 20-year-old midfielder Brian Farinas making his Champions League debut and just second start at right-back.

The hosts had not kept a Champions League clean sheet in 18 games, a run stretching back to April 2025, and there was real fear from seasoned Barca watchers that Villa would exploit their weakness.

In the first half Matty Cash, Gomes and Johan Manzambi, twice, made Barca sweat as the visitors created chances without taking them.

German Leon Goretzka hit the post in the second half but by then the game was done after Raphinha's strikes.

Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon and Joao Cancelo went close to adding to Barca's tally, but Emery remained philosophical.

"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.

"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 [of Barcelona].

"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."

It was still a reminder of how far Villa have come under Emery, who took over when they were three points above the Premier League relegation zone.

A Champions League night against Barcelona in the Nou Camp was fanciful when the Spaniard walked in the door from Villarreal.

Since then, he has delivered the Europa League title and two Champions League campaigns and this defeat in Spain will be another key marker in Villa's journey with him as they now prepare to visit Manchester United next on Sunday.

"Barcelona made the right decisions at the right times and scored really good goals," captain John McGinn told TNT Sports.

"The manager spoke about being clinical at important moments in the game. When you come here, 50-50s sometimes don't go your way. They also leave players up the pitch so if you lose the ball they can be away.

"I think we are competitive against teams at this level, we have shown that whether it is Bayern Munich or PSG. It was a huge learning curve for us and I am sure it will stand us in good stead for the future."