Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, as we edge closer to qualifying for the knockout stage.
Goals from Diego Carlos and Ollie Watkins turned it around in the second half after we conceded shortly after the restart, and so we’re now just a point away from advancing.
READ MORE: Villa ace seen in part of training as Emery provides return timeline
It proved to be a tricky night for Villa with AZ producing a response after our 4-1 win on the road against the Dutch outfit a fortnight ago, but ultimately we had the quality needed to come from behind and secure all three points.
Villa will face Legia Warsaw on November 30 next in a crunch clash which could determine who tops Group E, before a trip to Zrinjski concludes the group stage on December 14.
Aston Villa player ratings vs AZ Alkmaar:
Emiliano Martinez, 8 – Made some crucial saves as AZ threatened in behind after breaking our high line, while he also showed great awareness and speed to sweep up danger at times too.
Ezri Konsa, 7.5 – Another top shift as he moved across to right-back and continued to defend diligently and also offered quality in possession in our build-up play.
Diego Carlos, 8 – Brilliant to see him score his first Villa goal, and it was a crucial one too in order to get us back level. Showed great physicality, awareness and positioning in a positive defensive display.
Clement Lenglet, 7.5 – An assured performance as he slotted in for a rare start. Did have his troubles at times with our high line and getting caught out, but he was strong defensively for the most part and was on point with his distribution as he showed real technical quality in his passing.
Lucas Digne, 7.5 – Constantly gave us an option down the left side and put in some really dangerous deliveries for our forwards to attack. Similarly to Lenglet, they did get caught out on occasion with the ball over the top, most notably for the goal we conceded, and so we have to tighten that up.
Leon Bailey, 7 – The main positive is that he produced a top delivery from the corner that Carlos headed home. However, it was a frustrating night for the Villa winger, as he often misplaced passes or lost possession when trying to dribble past his man.
Boubacar Kamara, 7.5 – Played a key role as he continuously broke up AZ’s play in central areas and got us moving into the attacking phase. Also showed a good turn of pace and intent by breaking the lines himself either with a driving run or probing pass, although he did miss a sitter in the lead-up to our equaliser.
Youri Tielemans, 7.5 – Much better from the Belgian international. Looked more confident as he played with intensity, urgency and tenacity. Got stuck into challenges, but importantly, he was able to dictate our play in midfield for much of the encounter in a really positive outing.
John McGinn, 7 – Albeit not at his influential best, he played his part as we gained a foothold in the game and had his moments on the ball as well as battling away out of possession.
Moussa Diaby, 7 – Quiet for the most part as although his directness and speed caused AZ problems at times, he wasn’t able to add a decisive end product to his performance.
Ollie Watkins, 7.5 – Similar to Diaby in that the attacking duo were quiet for long periods, but showed his class in the end when it mattered by making a perfectly timed run to head home Douglas Luiz’s cross into his path to secure all three points.
Substitutes:
Douglas Luiz, 7.5 – Brilliant impact off the bench, as not only did he provide the assist for the winner which was a superb delivery, but he added energy and composure in midfield in the latter stages.
Nicolo Zaniolo, 7 – Looked to be positive on the ball as he drove at defenders and tried his luck on goal, while he added physicality and pressure off the ball too.
Matty Cash, 7 – Fresh legs and attacking impetus down the right side after his introduction, as he was important in helping us get over the line.
Bertrand Traore, N/A
Pau Torres, N/A
