PL underdog's dream return gets better; fresh blow mars Arsenal ...

Aston Villa’s dream return to the Champions League goes on after goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran earned a 2-0 win over Bologna and sent them top of the table on Wednesday.

Villa last played in the top tier of European football back in 1983 but Unai Emery’s transformation of a sleeping giant knows no bounds as the only side to register three wins from three games of the competition so far.

The atmosphere around Villa Park was a far cry from the giant killing of Bayern Munich three weeks ago in a repeat of Villa’s greatest ever night in winning the 1982 European Cup.

But the home fans still had plenty to celebrate as McGinn’s free-kick flew beyond everyone into the far corner before Duran kept up his prolific strike rate on a rare start for the Colombian.

Bologna, by contrast, have just one point from their opening three games and one win in 11 games in all competitions this season.

The Rossoblu were one of the stories of European football last season as they finished fifth in Serie A to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 60 years.

However, they have struggled since losing star players Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee to Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, while coach Thiago Motta left to take charge of Juventus.

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John McGinn of Aston Villa celebrates. Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Emery said on the eve of the game he wants to “break barriers” at a club that has not won a trophy since 1996.

And the Spaniard showed the impressive strength in depth at his disposal with a comfortable win despite making four changes.

Duran was finally handed his first start in either the Premier League or Champions League after scoring five times as a substitute this season.

McGinn and England international Ezri Konsa returned from injury, while £35 million ($46 million) signing Ian Maatsen came in at left-back.

Bologna could have taken advantage of a sloppy start from Villa as Thijs Dallinga fired a big chance too close to Emi Martinez.

The home side slowly began to take control as Lukasz Skorupski parried Duran’s header from a corner and McGinn’s low follow-up effort.

Morgan Rogers wasted Villa’s best chance to open the scoring before the break in first-half stoppage time when he fired into Skorupski’s legs with just the ‘keeper to beat.

Villa’s strength from set-pieces has been one of the keys to Emery’s transformation of the club from battling relegation to beating off Europe’s finest over the past two years.

McGinn’s enticing delivery did not even need a touch from the cluster of bodies in the box as the Scotland midfielder’s strike found the bottom corner to break the deadlock 10 minutes into the second half.

Nine minutes later Duran made sure of the points with a clinical near post finish from Rogers’ cross.

The combustible striker showed his displeasure at being replaced by Ollie Watkins moments later as Duran punched the bench in frustration.

But that did not take the shine off another memorable night for Villa in their meteoric rise since Emery arrived in Birmingham.

ARSENAL GRIND OUT WIN OVER SHAKHTAR

Arsenal bounced back from their embarrassment at Bournemouth as an own goal from Shakhtar Donetsk keeper Dmytro Riznyk gave the Gunners a 1-0 win in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side crashed to a damaging 2-0 defeat against the Cherries in the Premier League last weekend.

That was Arsenal’s first loss in all competitions since the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Bayern Munich in April.

Their response against Shakhtar was unconvincing, but they did enough to claim three points thanks to Riznyk’s first half own goal from Gabriel Martinelli’s strike.

Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFPSource: AFP

Leandro Trossard missed a late Arsenal penalty that would have put a flattering gloss on the scoreline at the Emirates Stadium.

Worryingly for Arteta, Riccardo Calafiori was forced off in the second half after appearing to injure his knee in the latest blow for a team currently missing Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber.

Arteta is already without suspended French defender William Saliba for Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with leaders Liverpool.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice admitted his side let their “standards slip” after Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth set them on the way to their first Premier League defeat this season.

Arteta had urged his players to use the “pain” of that setback as motivation against Shakhtar, but the response was tepid.

The Gunners have seven points from their opening three Champions League games, yet this was a far cry from the impressive 2-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain in their previous tie.

With one point from three games, Shakhtar remain without a goal in the Champions League this term.

The Ukrainian champions spent 17 hours travelling to north London by bus, train and plane, setting off from Kiev on Friday and stopping in Lviv before reaching Poland for a flight to England.

Unable to play home European fixtures in Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, Marino Pushych’s side competed gamely but lacked a cutting edge.

Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal. Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino compared his side to an NBA basketball team after nine of the starting line-up at Bournemouth stood over 6ft tall.

That imposing strength is key to Arsenal’s set-piece prowess and they should have taken an early lead from Trossard’s corner, only for Calafiori to shoot wastefully over from close-range.

Shakhtar had managed just one shot on target in their first two Champions League games, but they threatened a shock opener when Eguinaldo’s goal-bound shot was blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes.

Arsenal were in control without ever looking dominant before their fortuitous opener in the 29th minute.

Martinelli teased the Shakhtar defence with a menacing raid before cutting inside to unload a low drive that hit the post and rebounded into the net off the unlucky Riznyk’s back.

Kai Havertz came within a whisker of doubling Arsenal’s lead when Mykola Matviyenko made an agile goal-line clearance as the German prepared to head in Gabriel Jesus’s cross.

Jesus had the captain’s armband as Arteta tried to give him a confidence boost following 22 games without a goal.

But Jesus was guilty of a poor finish, taking Havertz’s pass and shooting too close to Riznyk from close-range.

Arsenal right-back Ben White, fortunate to avoid a second booking late in the first half, was replaced at the interval, with Thomas Partey moving from midfield to fill in.

Trossard headed wide from Martinelli’s cross before Riznyk plunged to his right to keep out Martinelli’s blast.

Unusually subdued in attack, Arsenal squandered a golden opportunity in the closing stages when Valerii Bondar blocked Merino’s cross with an out-stretched arm.

Trossard took the penalty but his tame effort was easily saved by Riznyk, a miss that sparked a nervous finale for lethargic Arsenal.

Pedrinho’s powerful strike from 18 yards was pushed away by Arsenal keeper David Raya before Marlon Gomes’ header was gratefully clutched by the Spaniard as the Gunners held on.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS

AC Milan 3 (Pulisic 34, Reijnders 61, 71) def. Club Brugge 1 (Sabbe 51)

Monaco 5 (Minamino 20, 70, Embolo 45+4, Singo 54, Akliouche 90+7) def. Red Star Belgrade 1 (Ndiaye 27-pen)

Arsenal 1 (Riznyk 29-og) def. Shakhtar Donetsk 0

Aston Villa 2 (McGinn 55, Duran 64) def. Bologna 0

Girona 2 (Gutierrez 42, Juanpe 73) def. Slovan Bratislava 0

Juventus 0 lost to Stuttgart 1 (Toure 90+2)

Paris Saint-Germain 1 (Hakimi 55) drew with PSV Eindhoven 1 (Lang 34)

Real Madrid 5 (Rudiger 60, Vinicius Junior 62, 86, 90+3, Vazquez 83) def. Borussia Dortmund 2 (Malen 30, Gittens 34)

Sturm Graz 0 lost to Sporting Lisbon (POR) 2 (Santos 23, Gyokeres 53)