Aston Villa secured a 4-0 win over Ajax in the second leg of our round-of-16 Europa Conference League tie, as we now look ahead to the quarter-final draw.
Having held out for a goalless draw in Amsterdam last week, there was an air of confidence and belief that we would get the job done at home on another big European night at Villa Park.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Ajax: Decisive quartet excellent in important win
Defeat at home to Tottenham last weekend dented that confidence as it was a bitterly disappointing setback, and so a response was needed from Unai Emery and the players in midweek to ensure it was just a temporary blip.
Just as they’ve done all season, they bounced back by getting back to winning ways immediately, and it’s hoped that it can now inspire an important run of form across both the Premier League and Europe in the coming weeks and months.
Reaction was needed, Villa deliver one
It was a chastening experience on Sunday as we suffered a rare heavy defeat at home to Spurs, and given the magnitude of the game and our hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, it would have been a bitter setback for all concerned.
With that in mind though, a positive reaction was absolutely needed in this game to ensure we didn’t let that disappointment linger and derail our campaign entirely, and although it wasn’t our best performance in the first half, we eventually rediscovered our confidence, rhythm and control.
It was the perfect result to get us back on track and hopefully put the Spurs performance behind us, and it’s the marking of a good team that we respond to adversity well and when we need to react, we oblige. Hopefully, that now triggers a lengthy upturn in form starting on Sunday at West Ham.
European journey continues after passing key test
Evidently this is not a vintage Ajax side, but they still have experience and prestige given their history in Europe, and it was a difficult tie both in the away leg and at times in the first half at home.
It’s a crucial process for this Villa squad in terms of their maturity and experience of big European nights to prepare us for tougher tests that hopefully lie ahead, and Emery will know better than most how important it will prove to be for our mentality and winning habit in Europe.
While we’ll be singled out by many as the favourites in the competition, there are still some top teams left in it. In turn, we’ll hopefully continue to grow through this journey and become a more established and settled side in Europe, with a seat at the top table potentially to come next season.
Important confidence boost for Diaby
Seven goals and seven assists in 40 appearances across all competitions in his first year in England doesn’t sound like too bad a return for Moussa Diaby, but he has struggled to show his best form.
His assist at Luton for Lucas Digne’s winner on March 2 was his first goal contribution in the Premier League in seven games, and although he was on the mark against Chelsea in our FA Cup defeat last month, he’s struggled to show consistency and adapt to his role in this team.
He looked much more confident and settled on Thursday night though, showing an edge to his play to provide a threat in the final third, before producing a top-class finish to make it 4-0. It’s hoped this will be a key moment in his season to put together a critical run of form to help fire us towards our objectives in the business end of the campaign.
McGinn presence will be missed, big test for Iroegbunam
As he now prepares to serve a three-game Premier League suspension, Villa will miss our skipper John McGinn as he showed his importance to this team yet again in midweek.
His energy, tenacity, leadership, composure and technical ability make him fundamental to our play in both phases of the game, and his presence will be sorely missed in the coming weeks, particularly in the heart of the battle having filled in more centrally since Boubacar Kamara’s injury.
That in turn though opens up a big opportunity for talented youngster Tim Iroegbunam, who has the qualities to play a key role for us while he deputises, and it was good to see him get minutes late on in this game too as it will be important for his ongoing adaptation to get as many minutes as possible before likely starting on Sunday.
Watkins injury a concern, Duran makes positive impression
There was real concern around Villa Park when Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj animatedly signalled to the sideline that Ollie Watkins needed treatment after a coming together between the pair, and there was a dreadful anxious wait thereafter to determine if the Villa striker had suffered a serious injury.
Fortunately, he was able to return to the game and score our opening goal to allay those fears somewhat, but eventually, he had to be replaced with what appeared to be a nasty wound in his leg from the aforementioned tackle as he twice went to ground to receive more treatment.
Emery didn’t rule him out of featuring against West Ham this weekend, and given his influence up top along with his goals and assists, it’s vital that we’re not without him for too long, if it all.
However, Jhon Duran deserves credit for the impact he made while covering for him, as aside from the thunderous strike that saw him get on the scoresheet, he used his physicality and energy well to cover ground and give us an important presence and focal point up top to suggest that he can fill in and do an important job if Watkins is indeed sidelined.