Donyell Malen scored twice in Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over Young Boys in the Europa League but was also struck on the head by a missile as crowd problems in the away end marred the night.
Malen's two first-half goals made it a largely routine evening for Unai Emery's in-form side on the field, although substitute Joel Monteiro's goal, awarded in stoppage-time following a VAR check, provided a brief scare at the end for the Premier League team.
But the disturbance off the field was more of a challenge for Villa than anything that happened on it. Young Boys supporters threw objects at Malen as he celebrated his first goal and there was further unrest when police attempted to remove a number of them.
Seats appeared to be among the items hurled towards the police as Young Boys captain Loris Benito went over in a forlorn attempt to calm the crowd. The incident delayed the restart following Malen's second goal late in the first half but the game soon continued.
The performance of the Dutchman, deputising for Ollie Watkins through the middle, pushes his claim for a regular starting spot in the Villa side. Malen has scored in three of his last four appearances, helping to turn the other after coming on away to Leeds.
His understanding with Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers, who provided the assists for his first and second goals, respectively, was one of the positives for Emery. Tielemans' return, in particular, helps Villa to look much more dangerous in possession.
It is four wins from five games in the Europa League for the favourites now, on course to progress to the knockout stages and claim a prize that Emery has already won four times in a career. Villa resume their Premier League push at home to Wolves on Sunday.