Aston Villa came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-1 in the Antonio Puerta Trophy as the Spanish press highlighted Villa's greater second-half quality, Alejandro Garnacho's influence and Max Jenner's eye-catching cameo on an emotional return to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán for Unai Emery.
Aston Villa's 3-1 victory over Sevilla may have come in a friendly during an international break, but the reaction in Spain was considerably more substantial than you might expect, with Unai Emery's return to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Alejandro Garnacho's performance and the quality Villa were able to introduce as the game developed all prominent in the coverage.
Villa fell behind to Isaac Romero's goal early in the second half before Ross Barkley equalised, Garnacho put Emery's side ahead and academy midfielder Max Jenner completed the victory with an excellent individual goal. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Spanish reaction, though, was the feeling that while Sevilla had competed well for long periods, Villa's greater quality eventually became apparent.
Mundo Deportivo described Villa as the better side after half-time and said Emery's team were able to expose their greater "technical and physical quality" once Sevilla had gone ahead. Garnacho was picked out as Villa's most active player even during the first half and the report suggested that, once the substitutions began to alter the game, Villa increasingly took control with the Argentine at the heart of it. Mundo Deportivo
That is probably the most encouraging theme to come out of the night. Garnacho has had to be patient since arriving at Villa, but this was a proper opportunity for him to play significant minutes and there was widespread agreement that he took it.
Sky Sports led its Villa update with Garnacho scoring in the victory, while UK reports highlighted that he had started despite playing only 31 competitive minutes so far this season and having been left on the bench in Villa's previous four games. Sky Sports
BirminghamLive went further, framing the performance as a potential turning point for Garnacho and reporting that supporters had been encouraged by what they saw from him in Seville. Birmingham Mail
There was similar praise from Claret Villans, who described Garnacho as "by far the biggest positive" from the game. Their analysis noted that Villa funnelled plenty of their attacking play through him, particularly before half-time, and also picked up on the interesting tactical detail of him beginning from the right rather than his more familiar left-hand position. Claret Villans
That tallies with the Spanish coverage. Mundo Deportivo had Garnacho as Villa's most active player in the opening period, while AS felt Villa actually started the game on top before Sevilla gradually established themselves. Mundo Deportivo
Spanish press: Villa's quality eventually told
Estadio Deportivo's assessment was particularly interesting because it looked at the result primarily through Sevilla eyes. Their headline blamed defensive errors for the trophy "flying to England", but within that there was acknowledgement of what Villa did to capitalise.
Sevilla Actualidad struck a similar balance. It felt Sevilla had been competitive for a substantial portion of the match but said the eventual 3-1 score demonstrated the difference made by Villa's "greater quality", as well as Sevilla's defensive mistakes during the decisive period. Estadio Deportivo
That is worth remembering when assessing the result. Both teams were missing players and both used the fixture as an opportunity to give minutes to youngsters and fringe members of their squads, so there is little point pretending this was equivalent to beating Sevilla in a competitive European fixture. However, Villa were 1-0 down after 52 minutes and had turned it into 3-1 by the 83rd.
Sevilla's own official report acknowledged that Villa began putting goalkeeper Fran González under increasing pressure after the opening goal. Barkley eventually broke Sevilla's resistance before almost scoring again immediately afterwards, Garnacho made it 2-1 and Jenner finished the game shortly after Sevilla had passed up an opportunity to equalise. Sevilla FC
AS described it as a lively contest with plenty of alternatives and felt Sevilla's substitutions eventually weakened the home side. Barkley punished a mistake to equalise before Garnacho and Jenner completed the turnaround. Diario AS
Max Jenner has made people take notice
The other name that has emerged prominently from the coverage is Jenner.
The academy midfielder only entered the game in the 76th minute but scored seven minutes later, and it wasn't simply a case of being in the right place at the right time. Sevilla's own report described him moving through their defence before finishing, while other coverage highlighted the feint that created the opening for him. Sevilla FC
Aston Villa News has already framed the performance around Jenner "fast-tracking" his first-team prospects after his recent performances for the Under-21s, with the trip to Spain giving him the opportunity to work around Emery's senior squad. Aston Villa News
There is obviously a considerable distance between scoring in this type of game and becoming a regular Premier League player, but these are exactly the opportunities young players have to take. Villa had plenty of established senior footballers on the pitch and Jenner still managed to leave Seville as one of the main talking points.
There were quieter positives as well
The result wasn't the only useful element of the evening.
Brian Madjo returned from injury at half-time in place of Tammy Abraham, his first appearance since his injury following the Super Cup period, while Pau Torres was also able to get back onto the pitch. RotoWire
Abraham had arguably Villa's clearest opportunity of the opening half, going through one-on-one before being denied by González, something even Sevilla's official account identified as Villa's best chance before the break. Sevilla FC
There were also valuable minutes for Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Lamare Bogarde,and getting academy prospects around the group and players who have either been short of football or needed an opportunity to maintain their rhythm while a significant chunk of Emery's squad is away on international duty is a positive.
And then there was Emery
The Spanish coverage understandably devoted almost as much attention to Emery as it did to the football.
AS's headline essentially summed up the evening: "Emery takes the tribute and Villa take the Antonio Puerta Trophy." The Villa manager was honoured before kick-off and reunited with former Sevilla players from the period in which he won three successive Europa Leagues. Diario AS
Canal Sur described Emery as the most successful coach in Sevilla's history and reported that he received unanimous applause around the Sánchez-Pizjuán, with former players including Jesús Navas and Nico Pareja involved in his reception. Canal Sur
Estadio Deportivo had already devoted considerable coverage to Emery's return before the game, carrying his comments about the influence Sevilla had on his career. Emery said that his time there had helped "build" him into a winner, and the Spanish media treated his return as one of the central stories surrounding the Antonio Puerta Trophy. Estadio Deportivo
There was an added little piece of history for Villa as well. They became the first English club invited to compete for the Antonio Puerta Trophy, and only the third side to beat Sevilla in its 15 editions after Granada and Boca Juniors. AOL.com
So while nobody needs to get carried away by a 3-1 friendly victory in October, it looks like Villa got almost everything they could reasonably have wanted from the trip. Emery was able to work with the players who remained behind during the international break, Torres and Madjo returned to action, Barkley scored, Jenner grabbed his opportunity and, perhaps most importantly, Garnacho finally had the type of night in a Villa shirt that gives him something tangible to build on.
The Spanish verdict is probably the most interesting one: Sevilla competed, Villa were not dominant throughout, and defensive mistakes undoubtedly contributed to the comeback, but when the game opened up in the second half, the greater technical and physical quality available to Emery began to show. For a friendly designed primarily to keep players sharp, that isn't a bad outcome at all. Sevilla Actualidad
