Aston Villa player ratings after vital first-leg win over Lille in the Europa League
Villa take a slender advantage into the home leg of their round of 16 tie against their Ligue 1 opponents
They needed to win and they won. That’s really all there is to it with big matches on the agenda in the coming weeks.
Aston Villa were not especially impressive against Lille in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie. They were solid for the most part, but also largely toothless in an attacking sense once again.
The quality wasn’t there in the final third until the one moment where a deft touch, an instinctive finish, made the difference when it mattered.
The truth is none of that really matters. There are concerns but they can wait for another day.
Here are the ratings:
Emiliano Martínez - 6
Unfazed by the additional attention from fans he’s irked before. Cool on the ball but parried a shot from distance into danger very late in the first half. Saved well when called upon with quarter of an hour left.
Lamare Bogarde - 6
Willing to stride forward with the ball but preferred to keep his passes simple at the end of it. Defended smartly when a corner was cleared on half an hour, cleaning up without fuss as Villa’s last man. Got into the box for what could have been a Villa penalty late in the first half.
Ezri Konsa - 6
Always eager to jump in and engage. Won a huge defensive header from a corner on the stroke of half time and it became a habit. Swept up in transition when required.
Pau Torres - 6
A little bit of extra quality in his passes out of defence offered Villa some cut-through they didn’t have when he kept it simpler. It also allowed midfielders to play into Lucas Digne indirectly, which quickly looked more effective than going to him straight away. Clipped a nice ball in behind for Watkins in first-half stoppage time.
Lucas Digne - 6
Decent one-on-one defending against his former club. Limited outright attacking intent but played a handy role in Villa’s occasional progress on the left.
Our Holy Trinity of conclusions for this match will be available tomorrow for paid AVR subscribers. Upgrade now for wraparound match coverage and other features for just £4 per month.
Douglas Luiz - 6
Heavily involved when Villa finally got a foot on the ball several minutes into the match. Kept possession well as the team looked for control in the first half. Passed cleanly and willing to get stuck in. Faded in the second half and was substituted in the last quarter of an hour.
Amadou Onana - 6
Useful interventions out of possession. Poor first touch in the middle of the first half led to a sustained Lille attack. Involved in an attack that almost culminated in a pass to Ollie Watkins for a probable goal, but Lille defended the situation well.
Always looks at his best when he’s freed up to drive forward with the ball, combining ball-winning ability and aggressive intent. Grew in importance with Villa in the lead.
Jadon Sancho - 4
Direct and aggressive on the right. Able to bring the ball in from long passes and win free kicks with his back to goal. Sancho was the first Villa player to pick out the kind of pass that might unlock something, but also walloped a cross out of play from a good position in first-half injury time. Quality went ragged after the break and was substituted late
Emi Buendía - 5
Early passing was a mixed bag and was too often second to the ball in the first half. All but anonymous in the second half. Got up well to flick on Konsa’s long pass for Watkins to head Villa into the lead. Went off in the last ten minutes.
Morgan Rogers - 5
Got involved in close-quarters play in the attacking third, looking to be the team’s chief creator. Passing in attacking moves offered Villa’s best route to chances as he grew into the task. Occasionally prone to a scruffy touch but some of his footwork was excellent.
Went close with the last touch of the first period and sliced a shot wide early in the second. Replaced in the last minute of normal time.
Ollie Watkins - 5
Misplaced a key pass with his first involvement after Rogers won the ball in the Lille half. Far too easy to defend against and rarely looked likely to get a meaningful shot away. Protected the ball under pressure, work that shouldn’t go unnoticed, but not with any consistency.
Put Villa 1-0 up with a fabulous header over the goalkeeper from Konsa’s long ball forward and Buendía’s flick-on – totally out of nowhere but a beautiful finish.
Squandered a subsequent one-on-one chance, going around the goalkeeper unsuccessfully when shooting was the order of the day. Substituted with 13 minutes to go.
Substitutes
John McGinn (for Luiz, 77) - Ginny’s back. Late substitute. N/A
Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 77) - Late substitute. N/A
Ian Maatsen (for Buendía, 83) - Late substitute. N/A
Leon Bailey (for Sancho, 83) - Late substitute. N/A
Harvey Elliott (for Rogers, 90) - Late substitute. N/A