Thousands welcome home triumphant Villa as heroes

Aston Villa celebrated their Europa League triumph with a parade through Birmingham [Getty Images] A sea of claret and blue flooded Birmingham as thousands of Aston Villa fans welcomed home the team as heroes after their Europa League cup triumph. More than 20,000 supporters were estimated to have been in Centenary Square to see the players lift the trophy – the club's first in 30 years - and the celebrations came less than 24 hours after a 3-0 victory against Freiburg in Istanbul. Hundreds more lined the streets, with some arriving hours in advance to pick the best spots to see the team's bus parade through the city.

It was an emotional occasion for fans gathered in the city centre, where claret and blue smoke billowed from flares as flags were flown. Roars filled the air at the end of the parade route when the trophy was held aloft before confetti rained down on supporters. Addressing the crowd shortly afterwards, manager Unai Emery said the team were "delighted" to share the trophy with them.

"And of course we are so, so proud of you," Emery added. "This moment is really fantastic, our heart is your heart, your heart is our heart. " The sea of claret and blue - Thursday's live coverage of Villa's return with cup Unai Emery - pictured here at the front of the bus - said the team were "delighted" to share the trophy with supporters [Getty Images] Defender Tyrone Mings also spoke from the top deck, revealing to those watching that he and his teammates had "one hell of a party" after the match ended.

"We celebrated very hard," he said. "I'm sure you guys have too… I just want to say thank you so much. What a fan base, what a set of players.