Unai Emery had been 'banging on' at Morgan Rogers as Aston Villa star fulfills coach's wishes in Europa League final win

In the aftermath of the victory in Istanbul, Rogers opened up on the tactical demands placed upon him by his manager. The 23-year-old attacker was a constant threat throughout the final, recording both a goal and an assist to justify his inclusion in the starting lineup. He credited Emery’s constant coaching for his clinical performance in the box.

“The managers been banging on to me about getting more easy goals and to get into the box. Happy I could get there and get a toe on it to score. So yeah, happy,” Rogers told TNT Sports. His second-half strike was the culmination of months of work on his positioning, helping Villa secure a commanding 3-0 victory over the Bundesliga outfit. Rogers added: “It was all worth it in the end. I try to give my all and give the best I’ve got.”

The victory carries immense weight for Aston Villa, a club that has spent decades searching for a return to its former glory. The 2026 triumph adds a second major European trophy to the club's cabinet alongside their 1982 European Cup.

“It’s hard to put into words, we’ve worked so hard for this,” the forward explained. “We knew we had one more game to give it our all and we all delivered, we came through. Great moment for the fans, great moment for the club. It will go down in history, it’s a great moment.” The scenes of celebration at the final whistle echoed the relief and joy of a fanbase that had not seen their team lift a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup.

While Rogers provided the finishing touch, it was Youri Tielemans who broke the deadlock with a stunning volley from a cleverly worked short corner routine. The Belgian midfielder revealed that the team had spent very little time perfecting the set-piece that unlocked the Freiburg defense.

“We put in a shift, a top performance, we had a great season and to top it off with this, it’s amazing,” Tielemans said. “We only had one day to practise it, we did it on Monday and it worked brilliantly tonight. So happy. Like I said, it’s amazing. It’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs. We started so so bad, our standards were really poor. The way we turned things around was great. Credit to the players, credit to the staff. We just kept working, kept believing and we got the win in the end. Champions League next season and a trophy.”

The win further established Emery's status as the most successful manager in the history of the competition. By leading Villa to glory, Emery secured his fifth Europa League title, following three wins with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.

Reflecting on his personal achievement, Emery was humble about his record-extending feat. "I am always very grateful for Europe, for every competition, Conference League, Champions League, Europa League, but especially Europa League," the Spaniard told reporters. "We fought strongly in this competition and tried to give it our best. We played in a very serious way this year." With Champions League football secured for next season, the Villa boss will be hoping to translate this knockout success to the grandest stage of all.