To beat Bayern Munich, Unai Emery needed Aston Villa to play the game, not the occasion.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said it was so loud in his ears. The first Champions League home game, against the team Villa beat to win the competition (then called the European Cup) in 1982, was always going to be exciting.
“Before the game, winning was not the most important thing for me,” Emery said. “That’s how we were able to compete. We had to compete more defensively than usual.”
Coming into the game, Villa had just one goal in eight games in all competitions this season – away to Young Boys on matchday one of the Champions League. They had not conceded more than twice in any game but their defense was certainly not water tight.
So it was scary to face Bayern’s unbeaten side, with 30 goals in their first seven games under Vincent Kompany. On the same night that Villa won 3-0 in Bern, Bayern put nine past Dinamo Zagreb.

Emery led Villa to victory over Bayern (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Emery, a game-plan obsessive, made some specific tweaks. A 90-minute video analysis on the morning of the game, with the players, was successful.

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Villa usually defend in a 4-4-2 central block, although against Bayern they repeatedly switched to a 5-3-2 by dropping the number 10.
It happened on both sides, but more often with Jaden Philogene, right no. 10, who was a surprise starter but a good match for Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies in terms of pace.
Here Philogene cuts in, leaving left winger Kingsley Coman in plenty of space to drop deeper and receive. Importantly, with Diego Carlos in Harry Kane’s number 9, that leaves right-back Ezri Konsa as a spare.
This fix ensured that Bayern could not overload Villa’s back line with a front five and minimized the horizontal distance between Villa’s defenders. Bayern were able to get close to their wingers easily, but transitions in play and vertical passes in the half space were much more difficult.
One aspect of Bayern’s build-up under Kompany has been to move Joshua Kimmich from No.6 to the right in the build-up, creating an adapted back three.
Here, Aleksandar Pavlovic tries to find right back Konrad Laimer as he runs through the half. Villa left-back Lucas Digne has to watch Laimer and winger Michael Olise (out of shot, near the touchline).
Digne, similar to Pau Torres at left centre-back, shows the ideal body position: side on, able to move quickly and hold the defensive line.
He beats Laimer in the aerial duel and Youri Tielemans collects Digne’s header before immediately turning to try and find Ollie Watkins on the counter-attack.
This sequence encapsulated the flow of the game: Villa sitting out, Bayern trying to manipulate the shape with wide spins and balls in behind. When Villa got back on track they continued at pace.
“It was kind of giving up certain areas, letting them have the ball in certain areas, but when the ball goes into the middle we have to be on it,” Villa forward Morgan Rogers told TNT after the game. “We knew we’d probably have to give the ball away, but we could hurt them in the box.” It was about moving the ball forward quickly”.
Villa only had 30 percent of the ball and 19 percent of the pitch, which is the percentage of all final third passes in the game. Those figures are Villa’s second and third lowest in games under Emery, and they only had five possessions with nine or more passes.
That approach was as much about playing for Villa’s counter-attacks as it was about avoiding creating the type of play Bayern wanted, which was the chance to counter-press. “We know Bayern, when they lose the ball, they all soar towards the ball,” Rogers told TNT.
Of Bayern’s 90 matches, only 10 started in Villa’s third leg. Early on, Villa’s ball was poor, either picking the wrong pass or executing it poorly. Eventually, though, it started to stick and Watkins became a real problem for Dayot Upamecano.
There was one leg tangle with Upamecano the last defender, with both ending up on the floor. The Frenchman was booked for a foul on Watkins, as the striker fell in, then turned and ran in behind, and Upamecano pulled him over.
Bayern’s biggest chance of the game and their only big chance came from Villa not getting out. Substitute Mathys Tel played a pass from the wing, to Kane’s feet, and Torres tackled the striker.
Diego Carlos passed the loose ball to Ross Barkley, his closest passing option, rather than playing long. Immediately there were two defenders in the middle and Bayern got the ball back.
Tel’s shot from distance was blocked by Tielemans and Philogene had to run to the corner flag to stop the ball. He hit a pass down the line to Rogers who had two Bayern players on his back and lost the ball.
Bayern quickly won the ball in midfield and Jamal Musiala opened up the defense with a precise through ball to Serge Gnabry. It was the only time in the game that Villa’s defense was dissected and it took a big save from Martinez to keep a clean sheet.
Villa’s defensive style forced Bayern into crosses which suited Emery’s side as they had three tall and strong defenders in the air in Konsa, Torres and Carlos. Bayern had an aerial threat from Kane, but he was one man short. Of Bayern’s 19 crosses, only one connected with a teammate.
With the ball, Villa was just as direct. Bayern pressed man-to-man and Villa maintained their typical formation, with wide backs and double rotation. This enticed Bayern to press with seven and created space for Villa to play across rather than through or through.
Martinez mixed between going wide towards Watkins and playing short, often to the left – Villa had two left-footed centre-backs in Torres and Carlos, so it would have been more awkward to build down the right.
Fittingly, Villa’s winner came early on from a long ball in behind, from Torres to Jhon Duran. The centre-back was not under any pressure but spotted the high Bayern line and Duran was able to shave Manuel Neuer without much fuss from Upamecano, who could not risk breaking back at full-back.
WHAT DO WE JUST HAVE A WITNESS 🔥
Has Jhon Durán just delivered the moment of the night?! 😮💨
📺 Stay tuned @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK image.twitter.com/laAj5FwErX
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 2, 2024
Emery admitted the performance was good, but not perfect: “We could have won or lost, depending on the defense from Martinez or the goal from Duran.”
His preference for adaptability continues to serve him well in Europe. Emery has won 14 and lost just three of his last 21 Champions League group/league games, in spells at Villarreal, Paris Saint-Germain and now Aston Villa.
It was Villa’s first 1-0 home win since two in the same week against Arsenal and Manchester City last December. The game will be remembered for Duran’s audacious finish and two big late saves from Martinez, but for 80 minutes Villa produced one of their best and most disciplined tactical performances under Emery.
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