Unai Emery masterclass: Key points from Aston Villa's famous victory

On an historic night for the club - Villa romped to victory against German side Freiburg.

It was Emery’s fifth Europa League title - and Villa’s first trophy for 30 years and a first European crown since the heroics of 1982.

Here is a look at some talking points from a famous night in Istanbul

Emery immortality and masterclass

Emery was already the master of the competition, having won it on four occasions in the past.

Now he is the king of the Europa League. The odds were stacked in Villa’s favour, they were the favourites.

A defeat in Turkey would really have been a shock. And despite a cagey opening, it never looked like it was going to go any other way.

Emery spoke about a game plan and a focus before the game, and he got that and then some from his players.

Some of the goals looked choreographed down to a tee. And so much of that is down to the meticulous planning of Emery.

Villa play good football, but when they needed to go direct they did. Emery wasn’t afraid to do that and it worked.

This is the highlight of his time at Villa - but judging from how recent times have gone, it certainly isn’t the peak.

The Austin MacPhee impact

So much has been said about the impact of Villa’s set piece coach and he has to take as much credit as Emery for finding the key against Freiburg.

Villa had seen the better of the openings prior to the opener - but they were struggling to find a way through.

And then came the stunning opener. A set piece right out of MacPhee’s notebook and from the training pitch.

It looked like Villa cut Freiburg open with ease from the set piece. No doubt MacPhee, as he has done for so much of his time at the club, had a huge say.

Stunning statistics

The statistics around Villa’s Europa League triumph have been racking up - even before the game.

Whether it be Emery’s Europa record or individual statistics, there have been some impressive ones.

There is also the fact that no side has won more games in a European competition than Villa since Emery arrived.

And another that is equally as impressive comes after the stunners from Buendia and Tielemans.

Villa have scored more goals from outside the box than any other Premier League side in all competitions this season since the Club World Cup. 20 in total.

That is hugely impressive.

Magical McGinn journey

The journey for Villa is quite incredible. From languishing in the Championship, to a play-off win, to survival, to Europe, to the Champions League and now Europa League champions.

The story of it is stunning. The rise under Emery has been so sharp.

But there is one man who has been there throughout.

He may not have grabbed the headlines in Turkey but he had a big hand in the third goal, and was a key part of the comfortable victory.

John McGinn has been the man for the big moments and he led from the front again.

The mdfielder signed for such a low fee from Hibernian, who helped Villa back to the promised land is the poster boy of Villa’s rise.

Like Villa though, it seems McGinn’s story isn’t fully told. He has come some way under Emery, but there are still more tales to be written.