Villa were forced to withstand heavy early pressure in Italy, with Bologna dominating the first half. Santiago Castro had a goal ruled out for offside, while Lewis Ferguson struck the crossbar as the hosts threatened to take control.

Emery's side, however, showed resilience. Ezri Konsa gave Villa the lead just before the break, capitalising on a goalkeeping error to head home his first goal of the season.

Reflecting on the performance, Emery said: "Happy, but we have to balance everything. It is a fantastic result, but not everything in the 90 minutes was good. In the first half we were a little bit shy. The result was better than our performance."

Villa improved significantly after the interval. Ollie Watkins doubled the lead after a defensive mistake, finishing calmly to put the visitors in control.

Emery added: "In the second half it was completely different. We started to dominate and control the game like we planned. When they scored, we reacted fantastic."

Jonathan Rowe pulled one back late on for Bologna, rewarding their persistence after registering 19 shots and enjoying more possession. But Watkins had the final say, heading home in stoppage time to restore Villa's two-goal cushion.

The striker, now on 12 goals in all competitions this season, admitted Villa had ridden their luck early on. "They put us under a lot of pressure. We got lucky," he said. "At half-time we knew we had to wake up."

Looking ahead to the second leg at Villa Park, Watkins remained confident: "That last goal takes the sting out of it. We are in a good spot, but we have to keep pushing."

Emery also issued a warning about the return leg, insisting the tie is far from over. "They are dangerous," he said. "We will need a new plan, but always with respect."

With eight straight Europa League wins and momentum building at a crucial stage of the season, Villa now stand firmly in control—but Emery knows the job is only half done.

Arsenal eye Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig to bolster attack