Unai Emery was eager to praise Alejandro Garnacho for his “best 20 minutes” for Aston Villa on Wednesday and also hailed his resurgent teammate following the 3-1 win over Viking.

Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendia were on target for the Villans – who claimed an astonishing 12th consecutive home victory in Europe – while Alysson forced an own goal in what was an outstanding performance from the young Brazilian.

Emery was delighted with the performance of his side.

“We are delighted with how we are responding to our demands and respecting the Champions League and our opponents,” Emery said in his post-match press conference.

“Also, with how we are improving things. We played a good match, a serious match, collectively and tactically.

“We followed the plan we set out. Individually, we exploited our qualities. I think we did a good job, and some players took a step forward with their confidence, feeling better and understanding everything tactically.”

Garnacho continues to make headlines as the Argentinian has struggled for game time since his summer move from Chelsea and it’s been suggested that he could be in for a similar non-season like Harvey Elliott at Villa Park last term.

But reports over the international break claimed the much-maligned forward is back on the right track and when asked about the stellar performances of Alysson and Ibrahim Mbaye, Emery made a point to praise Garnacho for his impact off the bench.

“They are exploiting their quality,” Emery said. “We have to feel strong in our structure and understand how we want to play and how we can feel strong.

“We are trying to be at the highest level possible. Today they improved and are getting more confident. It was a step forward for both players.

“Garnacho played 20 minutes and these were his best minutes with us. It is positive.”

Barkley resurgence

Barkley was once again on the scoresheet after his two goals and assist in their 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahce last week, and Emery revealed that he is “pushing him a lot offensively”.

Emery added: “Firstly, as a person, he is a fantastic guy. Getting emotions together is important, and everyone needs to feel the same. Ross Barkley is a very good player with experience, and his career, I don’t know why, was going down after Chelsea. When we watched him at Luton, we thought, ‘Wow, what a player’.

“I am so happy with how he is playing his football for us, always being respectful whether he is playing or not playing. I am pushing him a lot offensively. I know he can score and can head the ball. I am very demanding of him offensively. I am happy for him.”