By Nick Mashiter

Copyright bbc

Unai Emery’s reactions said it all.

The raw emotion in Emery’s goal celebrations, as he turned and pumped his fists towards the Aston Villa crowd, was in contrast to the statuesque figure he cut an hour before.

Raul Jimenez had just given Fulham a third-minute lead as the Cottagers looked to end their wretched run at Villa Park.

But that run continues – Ollie Watkins ended his wait for a goal and John McGinn and Emi Buendia grabbed quickfire strikes – meaning the Cottagers have won once in their past 22 league visits to Villa.

Emery celebrated McGinn and Buendia’s strikes as if they had secured a title, a nod to the pressure the head coach puts himself under.

The former Arsenal manager’s position at Villa is secure – he helped pick Roberto Olabe as Villa’s new president of football operations after Monchi’s exit last week – and one bad month does not undo the years of progress under him.

Yet it has been a deeply underwhelming period for Aston Villa – five winless games to start the season, and one Premier League goal, before Fulham’s visit.

Another flat performance was lifted by Watkins’ leveller but at that point it could not hide the cracks – Villa failed to make a single tackle in the first half.

Two goals in two second-half minutes from McGinn and Buendia turned the afternoon into a stroll.

League win number one was secured in match six. It’s the furthest into a Premier League campaign that Villa have gone before a first win. And it’s their latest in any league season since 1969-70, when they were in the second tier, and didn’t get a first win until their 10th match.

Victory over Fulham came three days after a Europa League win over Bologna – and can be a catalyst for recovery.

For all their wobbles, they are only five points off the top four.

“We’ve been praised a lot the past few seasons so, as a footballer, you take the highs and the lows and you have to take the criticism on the chin. It’s been deserved, we’ve not been good enough,” captain McGinn told Sky Sports.

“But today and Thursday night [against Bologna] is a lot more like ourselves. We know we’re still a good team and a team that teams don’t enjoy playing against – and today we showed that in abundance.”

Villa had plenty of help from Fulham. For while the visitors felt they should have had a first-half penalty – Josh King instead booked for simulation when he went down under Emi Martinez’s challenge – their early second-half collapse gift-wrapped victory.

“I think our results are bringing balance,” Emery said. “We are not where we want to be but this result will hopefully help us get better. How the players are connecting and adapting are important.”