Aston Villa have moved into second place in the UEFA Champions League standings after collecting nine points from their opening three matches, strengthening their position among the early contenders for automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Unai Emery’s side maintained their 100 per cent record with a 3-1 victory over Norwegian champions Viking at Villa Park on Wednesday.

Villa are level on points with Paris Saint-Germain, who lead the standings, but sit second on the table supplied after the latest round of matches.

The English club have scored 12 goals and conceded three, giving them a goal difference of plus nine.

That attacking return has proved important in a closely contested race, with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis also sitting on nine points after winning their opening three fixtures.

Villa’s latest result followed a 3-2 away victory over Club Brugge and an emphatic 6-0 home win against Fenerbahçe.

Their ability to collect maximum points in different types of matches has given them an encouraging start to their European campaign.

Against Viking, Ross Barkley opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before Emiliano Buendía converted a penalty 14 minutes later.

An own goal by Henrik Heggheim extended Villa’s advantage in the second half, while Peter Christiansen scored a late consolation for the visitors.

The result leaves Villa well placed in the battle for a top-eight finish.

Under the competition format, the eight highest-ranked teams at the end of the league phase advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout play-offs.

However, five matches remain, meaning Villa must continue collecting points to protect their position.

Their next European assignment is a trip to face Barcelona on November 3, a fixture that will provide another significant test of their ambitions.

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