Unai Emery left supporters bewildered this evening after the Aston Villa manager physically pushed Youri Tielemans during the final moments of their Europa League triumph against Fenerbahce.
The Spanish coach appeared visibly agitated as the Belgian midfielder departed the pitch following his substitution for teenage prospect George Hemmings.
Upon crossing the touchline, Emery confronted Tielemans before shoving him in an extraordinary display of touchline fury.
The incident rapidly circulated across social media platforms, with confused fans demanding answers.
Unai Emery shoved Youri Tielemans during Aston Villa's win over Fenerbahce
|REUTERS
"What was Emery doing to Tielemans there?" questioned one supporter on X, whilst another asked: "Why did Emery just lose his s*** with Tielemans?"
The reason behind the manager's outburst remains unclear, though he did go on to downplay the incident.
When asked about the incident, he said: "He's like my son."
Despite the touchline drama, Villa secured a crucial 1-0 victory at the Ulker Stadyumu thanks to Jadon Sancho's first goal since arriving on loan from Manchester United.
The winger found the net in the 25th minute, connecting with Matty Cash's deflected cross to head past Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson from close range.
Unai Emery was NOT happy with Youri Tielemans as he was subbed off for Villa…🫣 pic.twitter.com/PmIsrVDxmM
— george (@StokeyyG2) January 22, 2026
Villa had demonstrated attacking intent from the outset, appearing sharp and dangerous on the counter-attack before Sancho's decisive contribution.
The goal capped off an enterprising and skilful passage of play from the visitors, who thoroughly deserved their advantage against the Turkish side in Istanbul.
Unai Emery downplayed the incident in his post-match press conference
|REUTERS
The triumph elevated Villa to third position in the Europa League table, with their record of six victories from seven matches ensuring automatic qualification for the knockout rounds.
Emery's side can no longer slip outside the top eight, securing their passage to the last-16 with one group stage fixture still remaining.
The visitors required VAR assistance to preserve their clean sheet, however, as Kerem Akturkoglu's apparent equaliser was chalked off with fifteen minutes left due to an offside infringement involving former Villa forward Jhon Duran.
Villa return to domestic action on Saturday when they travel to St James' Park to face Newcastle United.