Aston Villa defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in the Europa League on a night marked by protests, arrests and police presence at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police arrested 11 people after pro-Palestinian protests and smaller counter-protests took place outside the ground, where more than 700 police were deployed, following the controversial move to ban Israeli fans from entering the stadium due to safety concerns.
But on the pitch, despite their slow start, Villa delivered the result they had hoped for. They have climbed up to sixth place in the Europa League standings and are halfway through the league campaign to qualify for the knockout stages.
Maccabi Tel Aviv players pose for a team photo in front of the empty away section at Villa Park
Villa were lackluster for much of the first half and should have been on the back foot against their unbeaten opponents when Dor Perez was teed up in the box but instead of diving into the gaping goal, fired a shot at the fallen Emi Martinez.
Morgan Rodgers was the one most active in giving momentum to his team’s play, and it was no surprise that he was heavily involved when Villa attacked just before half-time, exchanging passes with Jadon Sancho and finding Ian Maassen from the narrowest of angles to score.
As Unai Emery celebrates his third anniversary as Villa manager, the move is more befitting of the team he has built than his previous lackluster displays.
Donyell Malen doubles Villa’s lead from the penalty spot
In the second half, Peretz was again denied by Martinez in front of Villa’s goal, with stand-in captain Ezri Konsa eventually falling in a collision with Elad Madmon, and Donyell Malen arrowing the penalty into the bottom corner.
The mood was high as Villa fans also celebrated the return of Youri Tielemans. Tielemans immediately displayed some great passing range to create a chance for Malen to score a second goal, but goalkeeper Roei Mishpati made a sharp save.
An offside flag meant Ollie Watkins’ late deflection was not cleared on the line by Issoufou Sissokho, but Villa finished on the front foot and looked positive on what was a tricky night on and off the pitch.
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Protests continued without violence due to heavy police presence ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv
Emery: We drew on our experience in Europe.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery told TNT Sports:
“The performance for 90 minutes wasn’t great, but we played solidly. We played seriously. We conceded more chances than we had planned, but we had to accept that. They needed something here and they played very well. But overall we were dominant. We were patient and created chances.
“Against a team like Maccabi, we had to use our experience in Europe. For example, we lost against Go Ahead Eagles. Two years ago in the Conference League, we had difficult games against Legia Warsaw and AZ Alkmaar. We are now using that experience to remind ourselves to understand the difficulties.”
“In the dressing room, we talked about trying not to get frustrated. Just try to stay resilient and have patience when you need it.”
