Aston Villa may have ruffled some feathers with their ticket pricing, but they nailed almost everything else before their victory over Bayern Munich. Off the field, the 1982 European Cup heroes were celebrated at an official event, and the late Gary Shaw was honored on the matchday programme and team-sheet. The home fans, despite paying a premium, were determined to make their presence felt, and Villa Park was alive with a raucous atmosphere rarely seen for less glamorous opponents. After a cautious start, a disallowed goal by Pau Torres jolted Villa into action, leading to a win thanks to Jhon Durán’s spectacular goal and several crucial saves by Emiliano Martínez. “Villa Park was the loudest I’ve heard since joining,” Martínez remarked. Meanwhile, Manchester United, struggling in Portugal, could learn a thing or two from Villa’s transformation under Unai Emery.
In other news, Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi credited his hat-trick against Celtic to his wife’s broccoli, and the Football Weekly pod squad discussed the upcoming Premier League matches. Letters from readers touched on topics ranging from Lada Rivas to the reliability of Cuban taxis and the state of modern football calendars.
