- Published
Aston Villa suffered a reality check in Barcelona.
They were ultimately not good enough to bridge the gap Unai Emery, and the club as a whole, want to close over the coming seasons.
Emery felt 3-0 was harsh. With the first-half chances Villa squandered it could be a fair assessment but it could have also been a heavier defeat.
Barca had further openings, especially through Anthony Gordon and Lamine Yamal, which would have rubber-stamped the hosts' second-half dominance.
Villa tried to go toe-to-toe with the five-time champions and almost pulled it off in the first half but it was a reminder how far they still have to go if they want to challenge the European establishment in the Champions League, regardless of May's Europa League win.