"We've conquered before, we're prepared for more," read the pre-match display held up by the Holte End. Even if few would really be ready for a full-on repeat of 1982, when Aston Villa conquered Europe, the current vintage are doing an outwards impression of Champions League contenders. The small blot here was that they would have ended the night top of the 36-team table until Peter Christiansen, with an acrobatic volley awarded by the video assistant referee, scored a consolation for Viking that the Norwegian champions' second-half display merited.
By then Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendía had, in a first half of near-embarrassing dominance from Villa, virtually guaranteed the result before Henrik Heggheim's own goal had Villa briefly looking down on the entire continent.
Viking could reflect on another mini-milestone in a first visit to Premier League opposition since 2002, when they were beaten by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before famously overcoming the odds in the return fixture, progressing to the second round of the Uefa Cup. They have largely been consigned to the wilderness since but the Norwegian champions, still pulsing with momentum after ending a 34-year wait for the title, had already shown they were a respectable proposition in the Champions League. Last week's 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich had been richly deserved, even if Michael Olise's red card had helped them over the line.
Nonetheless this was expected to be a procedural affair for Villa, who had backed up the thrashing of Fenerbahce by purring to victory at Newcastle. Emery tasked the 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye with replicating the impact of Johan Manzambi, slightly injured, on the left. Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and John McGinn were other beneficiaries of the manager's rotation.
McGinn should have recorded an assist within four minutes but Nicolas Jackson, meeting his chipped cross unmarked, could only head into Arild Østbø's arms. Three minutes later an almost identical chance for the centre-forward, this time laid on from the left by Buendía, brought the same result.
Perhaps Viking, supported loudly by their contingent adjacent to Østbø's goal, had happened upon one of Jackson's less polished days. He was sharper in teeing up McGinn for a blocked effort in the 15th minute and there was a sense, despite a lack of genuine rhythm against opponents happy to sit in, that Villa would make an opportunity count soon enough.
They almost managed it with a stroke of luck when a cross by João Gomes, the makeshift right-back, deflected on to the bar. It bred a more conventional opener when, from the second of two corners that followed, Mbaye delivered a left-sided inswinger and Barkley leapt highest to plant a firm header across Østbø at the near post.
It was unclear whether Viking would be equipped to offer a response. The match was almost put beyond them immediately when Østbø parried from Alysson and, from the rebound, Buendía looped a header wide of the vacant goal.
Just after the half-hour Buendía, completely free, charged on to a clever McGinn corner but allowed a save when Villa's second seemed inevitable.
In the event, it came soon enough. This time Buendía made no mistake after VAR suggested Alysson, tumbling after running into a penalty-box thicket, had been felled unnecessarily by the Viking captain, Zlatko Tripic. The spot-kick was awarded and converted after a review. That was surely that; Viking had barely offered a flicker of attacking threat.
Corners won either side of the interval at least gave Villa something to defend. The richly promising midfielder Tobias Moi warmed Zion Suzuki's midriff after half-time in a reminder the hosts had work to complete. Moi caused a bigger flutter when a goalbound sidefooter was blocked and Viking, cajoled by their joint managers Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, looked a considerably more assertive proposition now.
Villa could, in turn, benefit from space left in behind. Alysson found some and, holding off his man, flashed an angled effort just wide. Suzuki, now seeing semi-regular involvement, beat away a drive from Tripic as the hour mark passed but the rangy Alysson's next escape down the right would end any faint Viking hopes. He had left Jesper Daland trailing and his attempted centre clipped Heggheim, who was chasing back to recover, and gave Østbø no chance.
Jackson, still searching for his own cutting edge, blasted a decent opening over before seeing his name held up as Emery began working through his bench. One of the replacements, Alejandro Garnacho, saw an effort saved but Christiansen's excellent finish would give Viking a lasting memory.