Aston Villa secured a comprehensive 5-0 win over Hibernian on Wednesday to take a commanding lead into the second leg of our Europa Conference League play-off round tie.
A hat-trick from Ollie Watkins and goals from Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz saw us take full control of the tie with a professional performance, as we adopted the right approach and executed the ideal game-plan to control the encounter from the outset.
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In truth, Villa didn’t have to go through the gears and had we been more clinical, particularly in the first half, the scoreline could have been even bigger.
However, Unai Emery will certainly be happy with a five-goal advantage going into the second leg at Villa Park next Thursday night, and having opted to go with a strong XI at Easter Road, he’ll now likely consider rotating his side and resting key players as we look to finish the job and secure our place in the group stage.
Aston Villa player ratings:
Emi Martinez, 7 – Came off at half-time and so hopefully he hasn’t picked up a knock that will sideline him. Commanding in his area in the first half and alert to danger when he needed to be.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Assured performance as he shifted across to right-back. Showed he can continue to defend at a high level despite the positional change, while he was tidy in possession too.
Diego Carlos, 7 – Great to see him log a full 90 minutes, and he looked strong throughout. Physical presence defensively, composed and accurate with his distribution.
Pau Torres, 7 – Combined well with Carlos and we’ll likely see that partnership flourish this season. Showed good strength and physicality when needed, and showed his usual class on the ball to help us control possession and tempo and build out from the back.
Lucas Digne, 8.5 – Excellent from the Frenchman as he registered a hat-trick of assists. Followed up his performance against Everton with another impressive outing here, as his deliveries from the left flank were superb to help add a decisive end product.
Leon Bailey, 8 – Positive from the winger again as he’s hopefully now building up his confidence. Looked dangerous at times with his direct running and trickery in and around the box, while he headed home to grab another goal too.
Boubacar Kamara, 7.5 – Provided a steely presence in midfield to ensure we had a foothold in the game. Offered good protection in front of the backline and importantly broke play up in that area of the pitch.
Douglas Luiz, 7.5 – More positive work from the Brazilian as he controlled the game for us with his ability on the ball. Another brilliant penalty as he looks to have taken over that duty full-time and we can see why.
John McGinn, 7.5 – A strong display on his return to his former club. Showed classy moments in possession to break free of pressure and set us on our way, while he showed his usual tenacious and gritty side to help us match Hibernian’s energy.
Moussa Diaby, 7 – Off with his end product, but continues to show his quality through his movement and technical ability. Not his night in terms of producing a goal contribution, but certainly proving he’s a real asset for us.
Ollie Watkins, 9 – Superbly taken hat-trick and he could have had more. Two excellent headed finishes as he showed great instincts and finishing in the box, and wrapped it up with a top run and finish for his third as he became only the fourth Villa player to score a hat-trick in Europe.
Substitutes:
Robin Olsen, 6.5 – Produced a good save early on in the second half after coming on, and although he wasn’t really tested thereafter, a better effort between the posts to provide some stability.
Youri Tielemans, 6.5 – Added composure and calmness on the ball in the latter stages to help us see out the win.
Bertrand Traore, 6.5 – Did well to win the penalty having shown good skill and trickery inside the box, positive impact.
Jhon Duran, 6 – Worked hard off the ball and added fresh legs up the field in the final 20 minutes or so.
Matty Cash, 6 – Similar to Duran in that he added freshness but in the defensive third and helped us keep our clean sheet in tact.
