'No better manager than this' - How has Unai Emery fared in his five previous UEFA Europa League finals after leading Aston Villa to showdown?
By Sanjay Suri
Published 08/05/2026 at 13:16 GMT+1
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Unai Emery has reached his sixth UEFA Europa League final but how has he fared in previous matches and why is he considered a European specialist?
Highlights: Villa into Europa League final after Forest hammering
Video credit: TNT Sports
After leading Aston Villa to a 4-0 semi-final second leg win over Nottingham Forest to reach the Europa League final, Emery’s reputation as a European specialist just keeps building.
No manager has been more successful than Emery in Europe’s secondary tournament and he has won of four of the previous five final appearances with four different clubs.
But what exactly happened in each of the previous five editions?
2014: Sevilla beat Benfica on penalties
Sevilla breezed to the 2014 final under Emery, their biggest tests coming against compatriots Real Betis and Valencia, whom they beat on penalties and away goals respectively.
They met Benfica in the final in Turin. The Lisbon club had dropped down from the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in their group under the old format.
After playing out a drab 0-0 draw, having largely been second best, Sevilla kept their nerve when the match went to penalties.
Goalkeeper Beto managed to save two spot-kicks before Kevin Gameiro netted the winner to hand Emery his first major trophy.
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2015: Sevilla beat Dnipro to make it two
The dominance continued in next year’s edition in Warsaw.
Despite finishing second in their group, Sevilla raced to the final, beating Borussia Monchengladbach, Villarreal, Zenit St Petersburg and Fiorentina on the way.
Despite being heavy favourites, Sevilla trailed to an early Nikola Kalinic goal and, despite then taking a 2-1 lead, were pegged back once more just before half-time.
Carlos Bacca stepped up in the second half though, with his 73rd-minute strike proving decisive.
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Unai Emery has guided Aston Villa to the Europa League final.
Image credit: Getty Images
2016: Sevilla down Liverpool in second-half blitz
This was the final when Emery really made his name in England as he faced Liverpool in the final, who had brought Jurgen Klopp in earlier in the season.
Sevilla, who had finished third in the Champions League group stage, battled past Molde, Basel, Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the final in Basel.
The Reds looked to be cruising after Daniel Sturridge’s opener but three second-half goals, including two from skipper Coke, turned the game on its head.
The turning point came when an error from former Sevilla defender Alberto Moreno gifted Kevin Gameiro an equaliser and Emery’s side never looked back.
2019: Arsenal thrashed by Chelsea in Baku
Emery’s struggles in North London have been well-documented but he even managed to drag The Gunners into a European final.
Arsenal’s strength at home helped them overturn first-leg deficits against Bate Borisov and Rennes before cruising past Napoli and Valencia in the latter rounds.
After a goalless first half in Baku, Chelsea raced into a 3-0 lead through Olivier Giroud, Pedro and Eden Hazard.
Alex Iwobi briefly gave Arsenal hope but Hazard’s penalty put pay to that three minutes later to hand Emery his only Europa League final defeat.
2021: Villarreal beat Man Utd in penalty shootout
Emery and Villarreal went unbeaten throughout the campaign, including a surprise win over former club Arsenal in the semi-final.
Once again, Emery’s side came in as underdogs against a star-studded Manchester United side including Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani.
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Video credit: SNTV
Gerard Moreno gave the Yellow Submarine the lead, before Cavani hit back 10 minutes into the second half.
Once again, penalties were needed and Villarreal netted all 11 of their efforts. Up stepped United goalkeeper David de Gea but Gironimo Rulli dived to his left to earn Villarreal their first trophy in 17 years.
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