Barcelona 3-0 Aston Villa: Yamal 7, Raphinha 52, 64
Camp Nou has always been a dismal place for Unai Emery, and on his latest visit Barcelona dished out another painful result. Aston Villa struggled to compete with the hosts and suffered a chastening defeat that ended their perfect start to this season’s Champions League.
They remain well placed to reach the knockout stages, but given Villa’s lofty ambitions to break into the top echelons of football, Emery will have been disappointed by how easily Barcelona took control and dismantled his team.
The Catalans have by far the superior squad but Villa were also guilty of hanging the albatross around their own necks here. Just seven minutes in, an unwise attempt to play out from the back led to a skittish Joao Gomes giving the ball away to Lamine Yamal, who controlled, swayed and then duly punished the costly mistake, curling a shot into the far corner beyond the reach of Zion Suzuki.
And then came Lamine. https://t.co/3SKgOWZtH7
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 3, 2026
Barcelona had their lead, but Villa enjoyed some really good moments. They first threatened from a pair of corners and came close to finding an immediate response. Matty Cash saw his effort deflected wide before Gomes was denied by a timely Cancelo block.
They then continued to find space behind Barcelona’s ultra-high defensive line. Nicolas Jackson broke clear down the right and fed Johan Manzambi, who could not keep his shot on target. Jackson later found himself through again, but Joan Garcia was on hand to deny him before Manzambi threatened once more.
Perhaps with better finishing Villa might have had a better time of it here. At the other end, Suzuki produced a good save to deny Anthony Gordon after Villa’s goalkeeper had almost gifted the hosts yet another chance.
Barcelona continued to dominate possession and in the second half, Pedri soon drove through the middle and cut a pass straight through Villa’s back line into Raphinha, whose shot took a deflection off Pau Torres before going past Suzuki.
Another brace. Another MVP. https://t.co/TwPrCeo2XH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 3, 2026
Emery responded with three substitutions in an attempt to revive his side, but Barcelona soon put the result beyond doubt. Cancelo provided the moment of quality. The Portuguese defender slipped past John McGinn on Barcelona’s left before delivering a superb cross in with the outside of his right foot. Raphinha arrived in the box and finished from close range to complete his double.
Villa lucked out on a consolation when Leon Goretzka came close with a header that pounded the post. Barcelona continued being gifted chances at the other end and Suzuki had to make another save after putting Boubacar Kamara under pressure with a poor pass. The scores stayed at 3-0, miserable reading for Emery.
