Aston Villa had a similarly convincing win in their tournament opener, defeating Young Boys 3-0 on the road. They have picked up where they left off last season, chasing a top-four finish in the Premier League as they currently have 13 points in six games, and are only two points behind the top of the table.

A star-studded line-up shows the esteem in which Barton was held. The link with Petersfield came in part because Barton lived in Hampshire: a former Portsmouth player, he had served as assistant manager at Southampton to the ex-Villa defender Chris Nicholl and then returned to Fratton Park.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is eager to engage in European nights on the biggest stage — Wednesday’s match against Bayern Munich will qualify as just that kind of game. “It will be unbelievable,