As if Aston Villa fans could love him any more, Unai Emery masterminded a 1-0 Champions League win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery will have been the toast of the Aston Villa faithful on Wednesday night after a famous win reminiscent of the 1982 European Cup final.
When Villa won the prestigious competition 42 years ago it was thanks to a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich and on Wednesday night they were triumphant by the same scoreline.
What made this all the more special is the win came just weeks after the passing of legendary Villa striker Gary Shaw who was a key part of that European Cup winning team.
An emotional night played out in front of a raucous Villa Park, it was Jhon Duran who was the hero as he came off the bench to fire Villa to victory late on.
Unai Emery emotional after Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich
Villa fans feel indebted to manager Emery who has returned their club to former glories in just under two years in charge of the club.
The Spanish coach has the vehement backing of everyone associated with Villa and can do no wrong in their eyes.
Emery does not open up on his emotions too often, but he could not resist a heartfelt message to the Villa faithful after a momentous night.
Emery posted a picture of him clapping the Villa fans on Instagram with the caption: “Too many feelings inside but I can explain in one word what happened tonight…PERFECT!
“Prince William, Wes and Nassef, my great players, the coaching staff, the management and staff, the 82 heroes, the media…the whole club having a beautiful night.
“Tomorrow back to work with energy and recharged! BUT tonight…I just came back to social media to say from the heart: Thank you! To every Villa fan.
“We know your sacrifices, personal effort, how much you must work to be able to come to VP or watch us on TV. I hope you enjoy as much as you deserve. See you and we need you fresh on Sunday. UP THE VILLA!”
Aston Villa must keep momentum against Manchester United
The task now for Emery and his players is to take the Bayern performance into Sunday against Manchester United.
- READ MORE: Manuel Neuer admits Bayern Munich ‘struggled’ with one key thing Aston Villa did during 1-0 win
After such a big occasion there can naturally be a dip in the next match so the fact it is another big game against United may well help Emery galvanise his players.
Villa have ambitions of securing a second consecutive top four finish and they will not do this if they cannot find motivation in every single game.
A win against United on Sunday has the potential to take Villa to the top of the Premier League table if other results go their way, so if Emery needs something to entice his players that could well be it.
