May 20 (Reuters) - Unai Emery not ⁠only cemented his status as undisputed king of the Europa League with Wednesday's astonishing fifth win as a ⁠manager - but also sealed Aston Villa's resurgence as a major force in football.

The 54-year-old Spaniard joined Villa ‌in late 2022, with the famous old Midlands club hovering perilously close to the Premier League relegation zone and fans still harking back to past glories of the 1980s and 90s.

Emery has since hauled Villa to the upper echelons of the Premier League, taken them into the Champions League - and ​now won them their first trophy in 30 years.

The nature of the 3-0 ⁠thrashing of Freiburg in the Europa League final ⁠in Turkey demonstrated all that is best about Emery's Villa: tactical nous, defensive resilience and oodles of skill and finishing ⁠power ‌up front.

"This final is the confirmation about how we are progressing," Emery told TNT. "Europe gave us a lot."

As the goals went in, Villa's players were serenaded by hordes of delirious supporters who had travelled from Birmingham to Istanbul. ⁠Among them was Villa's most famous fan, Prince William, who celebrated the ​victory ecstatically.