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Jackson steps up again as Aston Villa revival continues - Published Nicolas Jackson celebrated his first-half double by making a cutting motion which proved fitting on a night Aston Villa found their clinical edge. A first win at Villa Park this season, three first-half goals with six in total and a commanding Champions League victory - all in the biggest European win in their history. Unai Emery said his side had been impacted by the rebuild of the North Stand after three winless games at home this season but they showed no signs of struggle against Fenerbahce. A dominant victory against the Turkish visitors leaves Villa already well placed to reach the Champions League knockout phase and will add to their slowly growing momentum. Questions had been building as Villa picked up just one point from their opening three Premier League home games this season even if Saturday's 2-2 draw with Brentford ensured they avoided a third-straight home league defeat under Emery for the first time since February 2024. Against Fenerbahce, they found a willing opponent. Scattered with former Premier League players, including Ederson, Nathan Ake, Romelu Lukaku and Nelson Semedo, the visitors would have been a formidable foe five years ago. Instead, they folded quickly in the first half - despite Zion Suzuki's two important saves - as Johan Manzambi and Jackson's double put Villa in complete control. The goals came in front of the skeleton of the North Stand, which will not have gone unnoticed as they had previously scored only once when attacking that end this season. Ross Barkley's double and Tammy Abraham's late tap in added to the visitors' woes and underlined Villa's dominance. They last scored so many in a 6-1 win over Brighton three years ago and had previously put five past Hibernian in the Europa Conference League in 2023. The result provides another springboard and extends Villa's recent form to just one defeat in their last seven games. However, Emery's rebuild will still take time. Before the international break, he described the opening five weeks of the campaign as similar to still being in pre-season with 10 new players to adapt following a chaotic summer of change. Reflecting post match on how things are now progressing, he said: "They (Fenerbahce) didn't deserve 6-0 but for us it was very important how we achieved the first win at home and how we managed with different players, our progression and step forward. "There is still a lot of work to do and we need time, we are progressively getting better and it was a good step forward. In the Champions League the three points are important. We want to be a protagonist in the Champions League. "Now the clear objective is against Newcastle because of the lack of points in the Premier League." The shoots of progress are already evident. Manzambi glided past powerless Fenerbahce tackles, Ibraham Mbaye found space to exploit - even if he needs to improve - and Jackson was clinical. Leon Goretzka made his debut as a late substitute and Suzuki remained commanding, continuing to slip into his role with ease. "I think that's what Emery has been talking about with the potential of this team and what they can do," former Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov told TNT. "There's been a lot of questions from the start of the season, even for this game as well. People asking how far they can go in this competition but it seems as though they're clicking together and there's a flow to their game. "The players that Emery has brought in are starting to perform really well and it's a well-deserved win." 'Jackson is doing a fantastic job, fantastic task' Record £65m signing Jackson came to replace the departing Ollie Watkins after his £50m switch to Al-Hilal. He joined having helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga last season on loan from Chelsea, and on moving to Villa Park was reunited with Emery. The pair worked together at Villarreal, with Emery giving him his debut with the Yellow Submarine. The 25-year-old scored the final goal for Emery at Villarreal before the manager left for Villa in October 2022, a last-minute winner against Almeria, and has repaid the faith quickly on their reunion. The only thing missing for Jackson was a potential hat-trick, with Barkley - the pre-arranged penalty taker - scoring from the spot. "I wanted to take it but the most important thing is we win. Hopefully next time I'll get the hat-trick," Jackson told TNT Sports. "It's very important. We haven't won at home. Our keeper is amazing." Jackson's four goals in three games and five for the season in total allow Villa and their fans to move on quickly from Watkins, their record Premier League scorer, following a summer exit that threatened to turn acrimonious. Emery added: "Jackson is doing a fantastic job. "He's scoring, he's working defensively [and] helping the team. This is very important and maybe in the future he can shoot (from the spot) as well." Villa, and their new-look forward line, will now be eager for Saturday's trip to Newcastle, especially as Matthias Jaissle's side shipped four against Coventry on Monday to leave them with the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League. And Jackson hopes he can prosper alongside his attacking colleagues. "He [Johan Manzambi] is a top player. I'm really happy we're playing together. I hope we score many more goals together," Jackson said. "[Ibrahim Mbaye] is [also] an amazing player. We're in the [Senegal] national team together and hopefully he'll get more time to play [for Villa]. He's very fast and it's good to have him."
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