Feyenoord 0-2 Aston Villa VERDICT: Why Unai Emery's side are missing a former star's maverick streak and how one player stepped up in time of need

Aston Villa continued their perfect start to their Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win over Feyenoord on Thursday, with Emi Buendia and John McGinn on the scoresheet.

Despite their Premier League struggles - which have seen them win just one of their six matches so far and languishing 17th in the league table, they remain among the favourites to win Europe's second-ranked competition this season.

Here, Daily Mail Sport takes a look at the main talking points from the win in the Netherlands...

On the up?

Same venue, same outcome. Though this win will never have the magic of the 1-0 victory that saw Aston Villa lift the European Cup in 1982, it may still prove mightily important for Unai Emery's side this season.

Just like they did against Bayern Munich 43 years ago, Villa kept the back door shut and second-half goals from Buendia and McGinn put Villa in a strong position during the early phase of their Europa League campaign.

Despite their third straight win, Villa are still some way from top form. The fluency of their best days is absent and so is their swagger on the ball. But Emery will hope this little revival paves the way for something more substantial.

Villa miss Duran's maverick streak

Villa reached the high water mark of Emery's reign exactly a year ago, when they beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at a raucous Villa Park. The mercurial Jhon Duran was their goalscorer that day and he was also involved in a sliding doors moment that has shaped Villa's 2025.

Had Duran not been controversially sent off in a 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on Boxing Day, Villa would probably have kept the Colombian and sold Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window. Duran had claimed the centre forward spot from Watkins and before that red card, he had scored in each of his previous four games. Watkins was wanted by Arsenal, but they did not meet Villa's £65million asking price and Duran moved to Al-Nassr for £71m instead.

But he could ever come back?

Duran is a complex character and was difficult to manage, yet he and Villa were clearly better off together than apart. The 21-year-old has since joined Fenerbahce on loan but he has scored only once and has not played for more than a month. Meanwhile, Villa have had an underwhelming start to the season and they miss his game-breaking unpredictability.

Villa signed Donyell Malen for £20m last winter even though Emery does not appear to rate him, and Marcus Rashford performed well on loan without matching Duran's numbers in front of goal. Watkins is now the main man again, but Emery preferred both Duran and Rashford to him last season and it seems clear that the 29-year-old feels a little underappreciated.

Too much water has surely passed under the bridge for Duran ever to return to Villa Park. But good luck finding a forward who could do what he did.

Defenders prove their worth

In such a significant setting for the club, the travelling Villa supporters hoped for a performance to match, but in the first half Villa were stuck in first gear.

Perhaps losing Emi Martinez to a calf issue in the warm-up affected Villa's confidence, even though his deputy Marco Bizot performed well. He kept out a swerving shot from Anis Hadj Moussa in the 10th minute and just before half-time, the Dutchman leapt to tip over a 25-yard effort from Luciano Valente.

Those were not the only times Feyenoord threatened. Buendia and Ezri Konsa made crucial blocks to deny Sem Steijn, and then Steijn saw his hooked effort beat Bizot only to be scrambled clear by Ian Maatsen. Pau Torres also excelled alongside Konsa in central defence.

The first time Villa looked dangerous was when Morgan Rogers sent Ollie Watkins racing through, before the forward was sent tumbling by Anel Ahmedhodzic. Referee Rade Obrenovic showed only a yellow card and though he was invited by VAR to check the pitchside monitor, he decided not to upgrade the punishment.

The beat stayed the same in the second half and Konsa bailed out his team again by blocking another shot from Steijn. Finally breaking out of Villa's half, Buendia combined with Maatsen whose low cross was guided against the post from close range by Evann Guessand.

Villa seized the lead on the hour with Buendia's second goal in as many games. Boubacar Kamara regained the ball with a fearsome challenge and Buendia guided his short pass home impressively from 20 yards. Then McGinn made two 12 minutes from time following a powerful run by substitute Malen.