Aston Villa took charge in their Europa League quarter-final match against Bologna, with England stars Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins firing in Unai Emery’s side to a 3-1 first-leg win in Italy.
However, Villa were given quite a scare by the Serie A side and should have been on the back foot in the first half. Bologna went on a 20-game unbeaten run at home in Europe, reaching their first ever continental quarter-finals, but their spirit initially overwhelmed the Premier League side.
Consa’s own goal from Sanatiago Castro’s cross was ruled out by VAR as a very strict offside for the Bologna forward, but then Louis Ferguson hit the wood frame and Jonathan Lowe’s excellent cross hit the bar.
However, against the flow of the match, thanks to Bologna’s poor defending, Villa scored goals either side of half-time and rode into a comfortable scoreline.
First, goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia unnecessarily came out on Youri Tielemans’ corner kick and missed the goal, allowing Konsa to head it home.
Ezri Konsa puts Aston Villa ahead in Bologna
Things got even worse after the break, as another unnecessary cross-field pass to the back was pressed by Emiliano Buendia, and the ball spilled onto Watkins, who finished it off for his third goal in five games. A strong reaction to being left out of the England squad.
But Bologna, especially through England Under-21s Lowe, reminded them of the need to be careful in the second leg. Federico Bernardeschi hit the post from close range, but his shot from the top corner was saved by Emiliano Martinez.
Former Norwich City man Lowe was rewarded in the 90th minute with a finish past Martinez from the same area, setting up an interesting development against Birmingham next week. But Watkins had the last laugh when he took the final kick of the game out of the corner.
Everything will be decided next Thursday, but Villa are halfway through the Europa League semi-finals.
Watkins: I’m hungry, but I got lucky today.
Ollie Watkins reacts to approach early on
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins on TNT Sports:
“In the first half they put a lot of pressure on us. They were dominating the game and we were lucky. At half-time I said to the players, ‘Come on, we have to wake up.’ We were lucky that they got the canceled goal. If it had changed and it remained 1-0, it would have been a long way back for us. It was a great atmosphere and they played tough today. But we were lucky.”
“We scored from a set-piece and stopped the flow of the game. It was a perfect time to score because they were in the lead. “We then got the second goal and looked like we could score more from there.
“It’s the end of the season and we’re dying to go. We can play another 90 minutes now. We’re excited for the last few games. We play these guys again next week. We’re hungry.”
“Their wingers were causing all sorts of problems tonight. 2-1? It’s all about play. So that goal at the end ended the game. We’re going to make it tough for them because the two-goal lead is back at Villa Park.”
Analysis: Emery has another European winner on his team
Sam Blitz of Sky Sports:
In this situation, it’s hard not to support Unai Emery. Once he reaches the later stages of the Europa League, he can never go wrong.
Even if Villa played poorly here, we knew Emery’s side could find a way when Bologna dominated the first 30 minutes. Part of Emery’s blueprint for success in the Europa League is to embrace the struggles and suffering before cherishing the big moments. In the match against Italy, they allowed 19 shots, but won 3-1.
Once Villa took the lead with an effective set-piece machine, they never let go. Konsa’s goal energized the team.
Morgan Rodgers posed a huge threat with his runs from deep, but no player attempted to dribble more than the much-talked-about transfer target. Ollie Watkins started as an all-round centre-forward, showing clinical finishing and excellent hold-up play. He created two big chances and scored two goals.
John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia were dangerous in the pocket. But what is the real reason for the success of all these players? Youri Tielemans.
Returning to Villa as a starter for the first time since January, he created more chances than any other player with four, three of which were big chances. His metronome display gave the players in front confidence that they could attack.
The past five times Emery’s side have reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they have reached the final each time, and won the entire tournament four of those times. For Emery, this Villa side appears to have another team capable of winning.
Emery: Villa were shy in the first half
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery:
“I’m happy with the balance in everything. It’s great to win the first leg. How we spent the 90 minutes, sometimes you feel good in some aspects and not so good in others.”
“Maybe we were a little shy in the first half. We needed more passes to get into the attacking third position. We were losing the ball easily.
“We didn’t concede a lot of goals, but we conceded some with momentum. They scored one goal with a very strict offside. Set-pieces are always important, but today they were a priority both offensively and defensively. We knew before the game that was one way they were going to try to get something. It could happen in the first half.”
“The result in the first half was better than the game we played. I can’t say it was great. In the second half we got a great start, we dominated for 20 to 25 minutes and stopped them like they had planned for the game in the first half but couldn’t fulfill it. We were more or less in control of the game and felt comfortable. They scored one goal, but we still reacted well. We scored in the last corner. It was a very good result.”
“In the second leg they will try to hold us back. So we need to keep playing the second leg. We need to come up with a new plan.”
