A moment of magic from Ollie Watkins gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win in the Europa League last-16 first leg against Lille.
The striker’s superb looping header from Emi Buendia’s flick-on means Unai Emery’s side are favorites to advance to the quarter-finals against either Bologna or Roma ahead of the second leg against Lille at Villa Park on March 19.
In this draw, Villa’s lead should actually be more at the halfway point. Moments after the opening goal, Watkins missed a one-on-one chance when Amadou Onana clipped the bar from the edge of the penalty area, and Buendia’s acrobatic shot just wide of goal late on.
But Emery will be quietly delighted to take advantage of the noisy Stade Pierre Mauroy. Although his team has won just one of their last seven games, the four-time Europa League champion knows the steps to success in this competition.
Sunday, March 15th 12:30pm
Kickoff at 2pm
The victory also provides a timely boost for Villa’s Premier League clash with Manchester, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports on Sunday. This match could have a huge impact on the competition for Champions League qualification.
Lille showed a threat that could not be ignored as they lost 1-0 at home to Red Star in the first leg of the play-offs and then reversed in Serbia.
Olivier Giroud almost missed a header from close range in the first half, but Emi Martinez – who had been booed throughout for Villa’s antics in the 2024 Conference League penalty shoot-out – made a good save from Matias Fernandes-Pardo after the goal.
But until Watkins’ header, it was a largely inconsistent and low-quality game, with missed passes and shots on target hurting both teams in the final third.
The Englishman, who had scored just one goal in his previous 12 appearances, produced something special out of nowhere and led his team to victory and one step closer to the top eight.
Emery impressed by Villa’s ‘serious’ performance
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery told Villa TV:
“We played very seriously. We always tried to be organized, try to defend strong, try to defend comfortably as well, try to get transitions with the ball, try to dominate the ball. And we did that.”
“We respect this competition because we know how difficult each game is in Europe and away, and how English teams struggle, like in the Champions League.
“We didn’t create many chances, but we had some clear chances to score. I’m happy with how the players reacted to our game plan and how they respected and understood the difficulties that can arise if we don’t play seriously.”
“Then we need their skills and their ability to do things, and we need to add to the team individually and collectively. We need to add numbers from players like Watkins today. We need to add numbers from Morgan (Rodgers), (Jadon) Sancho, Leon Bailey, (Emiliano) Buendia and the midfielders.”
“I’m happy, but we know in the dressing room that this is the first leg. 1-0 is a good result, but we’re going to respect them like we did today and play with this result in mind and play the next 90 minutes.”
McGinn: Components after reset
Aston Villa captain John McGinn told TNT Sports:
“It was a good first leg. We know how this game changes in two legs. Don’t get carried away, maybe we could have scored a couple more goals, but Lille could have scored one or two themselves. It was a better performance, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
On Villa’s return to form: “We needed to reset a bit. The last month hasn’t been great at all. We can’t dwell on it, we can learn from it. We need to build and we need to lay the foundations tonight. We know we can improve more, but it’s a good result.”
Analysis: Are Villa back on track?
Peter Smith of Sky Sports:
Aston Villa now have a huge win for Unai Emery. This win at Lille was certainly not his most eye-catching win, but it was a reassuring win for the Villa manager and would have been an important one.
His side have been searching for form, structure and confidence after recent struggles denied them a place in the Premier League’s top five and ended their chances of qualifying for the FA Cup. They found all three in northern France.
The first half was tough in the heated atmosphere, but they played with control and patience. A great header from Ollie Watkins on the hour would restore confidence to his game, but he soon after put the Reds ahead 1-1. Indeed, with Amadou Onana hitting the bar and Emi Buendia closing in with a scissor-kick, Villa may feel they need a bigger margin to take home to Villa Park.
But Emery knows what it takes to succeed in this competition and will be encouraged by the signs that Villa’s time on the training ground over the past 12 days or so is paying off. The return of captain John McGinn has added to the feeling that Villa are on track.
With a big Premier League outing against Man United on Sunday – broadcast live on Sky Sports – the timing could also be perfect.
When is the knockout stage?
Round of 16 Second Leg: March 19th
Quarterfinals: April 9th and 16th
Semi-finals: April 30th and May 7th
Final: May 20th (Istanbul, Besiktas Stadium)
