Cabbage gate to Champions League history: The six year Aston Villa turnaround

Six years earlier, there was another memorable moment for the football club, and it happened just a few yards away from where Duran fired in his winner over Manuel Neuer.

The only thing is, that incident six years ago is remembered for all the wrong reasons.

But what it does show, is how truly remarkable Villa's rise has been in the space of just over half a decade.

Here is a look back over some of the key moments that led to Villa not only reaching the Champions League - but toppling one of the giants of European football.

Cabbage gate

It is October 2018 and Villa are a few months on from the NSWE group of Wes Edens and Nassef Sawris purchasing a 55 per cent controlling stake in the club.

But on the pitch, things are not good.

Villa are 12th in the Championship and have won just one of their last ten games with Steve Bruce in the dugout.

Bruce was already an unpopular appointment among some Villa fans, given his connections and previous success with rivals Birmingham City.

On October 3, six years prior to the famous win over Bayern Munich, Villa are held to a 3-3 draw against Preston, having surrendered a 2-0 lead and one fan has had enough.

He had snuck a cabbage of all things into Villa Park, and launched it in Bruce's direction.

"To say it's disappointing is an understatement for a club like this," said Bruce at the time.

"Unfortunately, it sums up the society we are in at the moment. There's no respect for anyone."

After the game, Bruce was sacked.

Dean Smith and promotion

After Bruce's departure, boyhood Villa fan Dean Smith came in and the fortunes of the club turned.

The Brentford boss, who had also had success with Walsall, completely transformed Villa's campaign as they reached fifth in the table and qualified for the play-offs.

A semi-final penalty shoot-out win over rivals West Brom was following by a 2-1 final win over Derby County. Villa were back in the big time.

Majority stake, survival and the star boy goes

On the eve of Villa's return to the Premier League, NSWE bought out the final shares of the club from former owner Dr Tony Xia, meaning they had full ownership of the club.

The first summer back in the top flight saw a full overhaul of the squad with 12 players brought in during the window.

It was a tough season on the pitch for Villa, as they battled for Premier League survival but they secured their place in the top flight on the final day of the season.

In their second season back in the top flight, Villa added to their squad again, bringing in players like Matty Cash, Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins who today remain a huge part of the squad.

Smith would go on to oversee a respectable 11th placed finish - but that summer they would lose their star player.

Jack Grealish made a £100m move to Man City, breaking the British transfer record. Although it was a blow, that money would be reinvested into the Villa squad.

However, with their talisman now at City, Villa struggled and after seven defeats in the first 11 games, Smith was sacked.

The failed Gerrard experiment

With Smith out of the door, Villa turned to Rangers' title winning manager Gerrard.

He brought in Phillipe Coutinho from Barcelona in January, who at the time was a big marquee signing for Villa.

They ended up finishing 14th in the table - with Gerrard making more moves in the summer window.

Coutinho's loan signing was made permanent, with Jhon Duran and Diego Carlos coming in for big fees.

However, like under Smith in his final season, Gerrard's campaign got off to a terrible start.

Villa had won just twice and scored seven times in their first 11 games when the ex-Liverpool and England midfielder was sacked.

The genius arrives and Villa make history

NSWE have pulled off some big coups during their time at the club - but arguably the biggest is Unai Emery.

Some were surprised when the four time Europa League winner and ex-PSG boss was lured to the West Midlands.

And they were even more surprised with what he produced in his first few months in charge.

Villa rose from relegation fodder to seventh, securing a place in the Conference League in the process.

More investment came from the owners and Emery continued to deliver.

In his first full season, he reached the Conference League last four but more importantly he delivered top level European football to Villa Park for the first time since 1983.

A fourth placed finish put Villa in the Champions League - and in just their second game they overcame Bayern Munich in an historic night at Villa Park.

Some turnaround in the space of six short years.