Aston Villa will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of our round-of-16 Europa League tie with Lille next week.
Although we struggled once again to produce the creative quality and end-product needed in the attacking third in a frustrating display through the opening hour, Ollie Watkins eventually found a breakthrough in the second half with a superb headed finish.
The Villa striker will be disappointed that he didn’t double our lead shortly after, but it’s a crucial result away from home in Europe, that not only hopefully puts us in a strong position to advance after the second leg at Villa Park next week, but also lifts spirits and builds confidence ahead of our trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Sunday.
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Although it’s a great result, it wasn’t a particularly convincing display, especially in terms of our play in the final third, and so Unai Emery will no doubt be looking for improvement in that area of the pitch.
That said, it’s a positive outcome away from home in our first-leg encounter, and hopefully it’s something that we can build on and exploit in the return fixture next Thursday night.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Lille:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Made some important saves through the course of the game to preserve our clean sheet, while he was a calming presence at the back with the way in which he commanded his area.
Lamare Bogarde, 7 – Did really well filling in at right-back with Matty Cash missing out due to injury. Defended diligently and pushed forward when possible too in order to add width and an attacking option.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Composed and in charge of his defensive duels as he was a key part in our ability to keep a much-needed clean sheet on the road in a difficult European game.
Pau Torres, 7 – Not always accurate with his distribution, but his ability to play those balls through the lines is always vital, while he helped us put in an organised and disciplined defensive shift as a unit.
Lucas Digne, 7 – Did his job defensively and got into advanced positions where possible to offer an outlet going forward. His delivery into the box could have been better, but a steady shift to help us put in a strong display at the back.
Amadou Onana, 7 – Vital presence in midfield to help us get a foothold, as he guarded the backline effectively and covered significant ground to help maintain our defensive structure and discipline. Hit the woodwork with a brilliant effort in the second half, but played an important part in our win nonetheless.
Douglas Luiz, 6.5 – Showed moments of quality, but his influence still has to grow in that role he is asked to play. Should have had an assist with Watkins missing a great chance to double our lead, but he has to get on the ball more and make us tick. Perhaps the instruction from Emery is to sit in midfield and let the centre-halves play out, but that surely should be his role more often.
Jadon Sancho, 6 – Looked dangerous at times, but didn’t do enough in his 1v1 situations as we need much more creativity and quality from him in the final third.
Emiliano Buendia, 6.5 – Struggled for much of the game to have a positive influence on our attacking play, but he put in a real shift from a defensive perspective and provided the all-important assist for our goal with an excellent header to play in Watkins.
Morgan Rogers, 6 – Tried to get on the ball and make something happen as much as possible, but couldn’t find the quality needed to prise Lille open. Remains the brightest of our players in the final third, but is just missing the end product to go with it.
Ollie Watkins, 7 – Great goal, as his looping header over the goalkeeper showed his class. Worked hard throughout with his movement off the ball and tracking back, but just when we thought he might have had a boost in confidence and would be more clinical moving forward, missed a massive chance to make it 2-0.
Substitutes:
Tammy Abraham, N/A
John McGinn, N/A – Great to see our skipper back. Wasn’t on the pitch long enough to give a fair assessment/rating of his performance, but his tenacity and physical presence was crucial and his impact was immediate.
Leon Bailey, N/A
Ian Maatsen, N/A
Harvey Elliott, N/A