Unai Emery Dismisses Sideline Altercation with Tielemans Following Europa League Victory

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has brushed aside a heated sideline exchange with Youri Tielemans after substituting the midfielder late in the Europa League match against Fenerbahce, which Villa won 1-0 in Istanbul.

Tielemans, the Belgium international, was replaced in the second minute of stoppage time. Following his substitution, he ran off the pitch and appeared to shove Emery while returning to the bench, prompting the Villa boss to decline a handshake.

When asked by TNT Sports about the interaction, Emery humorously remarked, “He’s my son. He’s my son.”

Despite the minor incident, it was a successful evening for Villa, with Jadon Sancho scoring his first goal for the club, sealing the victory for Emery’s squad, which was dealing with several injuries. Sancho, who joined Villa on a season-long loan from Manchester United in September, scored in the 25th minute off a deflected cross from Matty Cash.

The match saw Marco Bizot make several critical saves to maintain Villa’s lead, while a potential equalizer from Kemer Akturkoglu was disallowed by VAR, further securing the points for the visitors.

Emery expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “The most important thing today was to compete as we did and to feel good playing in our style. We were compact as demanded, and we won the match. We had chances to score a second goal but didn’t, yet we are very happy after the feeling we had on Sunday.”

Looking ahead, he emphasized the importance of the Europa League and the need to prepare for their upcoming match against Newcastle on Sunday, noting the necessity to finalize the squad as the transfer window closes.

Defensively, Tyrone Mings made his return after a thigh injury, and Emery praised the captain’s intelligence and commitment to the team’s performance after being sidelined for two months.