The build-up to this game was dominated by the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending Villa Park, and amongst that furore, it was easy to forget there was a game at hand.
Not that the opening stages lived up to much, as with a raft of empty seats in all four stands, a subdued atmosphere translated into a lack of real action.
A Donyell Malen effort that deflected just wide of the post midway through the first half finally raised the noise a little, but Tel Aviv then had a deflected opportunity of their own, and as Osher Davida’s ricocheted effort left Emiliano Martinez stranded, a collective sigh of relief could be heard as the ball squirmed wide.
When Villa are struggling, as they did for most of the first half, they so often turn to Morgan Rogers for inspiration.
He took matters into his own hands here, beating three defenders in a mazy run that ended with Roei Mashpati smothering the ball at his feet.
But back came Maccabi, who broke in behind the Villa defence with Roy Revivo, and when he laid the ball on a plate for Dor Peretz, only a stunning Martinez save kept the scores level.
It proved to be a key save too, as Villa took the lead in first-half stoppage time, when Rogers found Ian Maatsen in the area and he squeezed the ball in off the underside of the bar from the tightest of angles.
Maccabi certainly weren’t out of the contest and signalled their intent when Peretz arrived late into the area to latch onto a Helio Varela cut back, but another fine Martinez stop kept him at bay.
He was punished in brutal fashion for that miss as Elad Madmon tripped Ezri Konsa inside the area, affording Villa the chance to double their advantage from the penalty spot - one that Malen duly accepted by finding the bottom left corner.
Malen came close to doubling his tally for the evening and making the closing stages even more comfortable when he broke in behind only to be denied by the fingertips of Mashpati.
Yet, with a two-goal lead in tow, Emery had the luxury of being able to ring the changes ahead of a huge game against fellow European hopefuls Bournemouth at the weekend, and it didn’t affect the ease with which Villa were able to see the game out.
It served as the perfect response to a humiliating defeat on matchday three for the Europa League's most successful manager, but it was yet another miserable Thursday night for Maccabi, who are still winless in the league phase (D1, L3).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa)