Nicolas Jackson: Unai Emery makes feelings clear on in-form Aston Villa striker after historic Champions League win

By Oliver Thomas | 15 Oct 2026 08:30, Last updated: 15 Oct 2026 08:33

Aston Villa caput manager Unai Emery was afloat of praise for striker Nicolas Jackson pursuing a historical nighttime successful the Champions League connected Wednesday.

Villa person lone won 1 of their opening six Premier League fixtures this term, but they made it 2 wins retired of 2 successful the League Phase of the Champions League courtesy of a thumping 6-0 location triumph implicit Fenerbahce.

Emery’s men raced into a three-goal half-time lead, with Jackson netting 2 goals successful the abstraction of 8 minutes aft Johan Manzambi had scored an aboriginal opener.

A second-half brace from Ross Barkley and a precocious extremity from Tammy Abraham helped Villa people six goals successful a azygous European lucifer for the precise archetypal time, signaling their biggest European triumph and biggest triumph nether Emery successful each competitions.

Summer signing Jackson has been a standout performer for Villa successful caller weeks and has present scored 5 goals successful 8 appearances since arriving from Chelsea for astir £65m, with 4 of those goals netted successful his past 3 matches.

Although Abraham is disposable for enactment and 17-year-old starlet Brian Madjo has present recovered from injury, Emery has seemingly made it wide that Jackson is his first-choice centre-forward.

“Jackson is our striker”, says Emery

The precision connected Nicolas Jackson’s decorativeness to implicit his brace ? ? Stream present connected TNT Sports & HBO Max https://t.co/BWFdlvbgHp

"[Jackson] has powerfulness to get successful behind. He tin driblet and assistance arsenic well,” Emery told TNT Sports. “We request him ever to beryllium successful the container erstwhile we're attacking. Brian Madjo is acceptable to play arsenic good present [but] Jackson is our striker."

Jackson, who antecedently played nether Emery astatine Villarreal, reflected connected his ain show and Villa’s triumph post-match, telling reporters: "A precise bully triumph today. The 2nd time of the Champions League, and we were precise blessed to get the triumph and cleanable sheet.

“I’m conscionable playing, trying to people each crippled and winning and helping the team. Playing for the manager arsenic good is precise important, and [I’m] conscionable trying to triumph games and absorption connected the pitch, that’s the astir important for me.

“I’m precise happy. The astir important that we win, and hopefully adjacent clip I volition get the hat-trick!”

Emery added: "Keep going forward. [It helps] assurance for us. We did immoderate changes to get different players assurance and minutes. What we did contiguous was fantastic. The Champions League is precise difficult."

Villa question to Newcastle United successful the Premier League connected Saturday, and Jackson – who has contributed to 4 goals successful arsenic galore top-flight games against the Magpies (two goals, 2 assists) – is expected to pb the enactment erstwhile again.