Aston Villa Player Ratings: 7s and 6s After 1-0 Europa League Win Over Lille

Aston Villa Player Ratings: 7s and 6s Awarded After 1-0 Europa League Win Over Lille

John Townley, Aston Villa correspondent, provides his player ratings following Unai Emery's side's 1-0 victory against Lille in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash. Ollie Watkins' goal secured the win, giving Villa a crucial advantage heading into the second leg at Villa Park.

Match Overview and Key Moments

Aston Villa will take a one-goal advantage back to Birmingham for their Europa League round of 16 second leg against Lille after securing a 1-0 victory at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Ollie Watkins broke the deadlock on the hour mark, ending his recent seven-game goal drought with a deft header over Berke Ozer. Despite the win, manager Unai Emery will feel his side could have extended their advantage in the first leg.

The victory in Lille marks Villa's first-ever triumph in France, having previously failed to win in six attempts, including defeats in their last three visits. They have also now won their last six Europa League matches, becoming the first English team to achieve such a streak since Arsenal between October and December 2020.

It was a cagey first half, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances. Villa had some openings early on: in the 13th minute, Watkins moved into a dangerous position on the edge of the box but overhit his pass to Emi Buendia, failing to capitalise on the opportunity. Shortly after, Morgan Rogers was found in the box by Jadon Sancho, but from a tight angle, Villa's talisman couldn't deliver an accurate cross or shot, and the ball sailed high and wide.

Rogers continued to demand possession, and on the half-hour mark, he slipped the ball to Watkins on the counter-attack. Lille defender Aissa Mandi recovered well to deny the striker. Watkins was twice picked out by Amadou Onana soon after. The second delivery caused real danger, but Mandi once again managed to steer the ball out for a corner.

Lille also had their chances: after Pau Torres caught left-back Perraud offside, the ball was rolled across the box for Ngal'ayel Mukau, who fired wide. Olivier Giroud then missed the best opportunity of the first period, failing to convert Thiago Santos' cross at the front post. Late in the half, Perraud drilled a long-range effort that forced Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into a smart parry.

Villa broke the deadlock when Buendia headed the ball forward in the final third, allowing Watkins to loop a precise header over Ozer. Onana came close to doubling the lead when his effort from a rebound hit the side-netting after Rogers' initial attempt was blocked. Watkins missed a golden chance to seal the game as Lille pressed for an equaliser. Douglas Luiz played a ball forward from deep, and Watkins raced from inside his own half to the box but attempted to round the goalkeeper instead of shooting.

In the 82nd minute, Buendia came even closer to making it 2-0 when Rogers' far-post delivery found him, but his scissor-kick effort narrowly missed the target. Villa will now turn their attention back to Premier League duties, facing Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, before hosting Lille for the Europa League second leg at Villa Park.

Player Ratings

Emi Martinez: Martinez was jeered and booed every time he touched the ball, but that was to be expected. He parried a shot after being tested by Perraud from distance, but Villa cleared the danger. Overall, a strong performance from Villa's number one. 7

Lamare Bogarde: Bogarde started at right-back as Matty Cash hadn't recovered in time to feature tonight. He won four of the five duels he contested in the first 75 minutes of the game. 7

Ezri Konsa: Konsa won all of his ground duels against Lille and recorded a passing accuracy of 95 per cent from the 65 he attempted. 7

Pau Torres: Torres did well to jump up and play Romain Perraud offside late in the first half, before the left-back found Mukau in space on the edge of the box. 7

Lucas Digne: Digne started against his former club. He lacked quality on some of the corners he swung in, but defended better than he had in recent games. 6

Amadou Onana: Onana floated a lovely ball over the top of the Lille defence in the 30th minute, but the forward couldn't latch onto it. Moments later, Onana fired the ball across the box for Watkins, but Mandi made a key intervention. He nearly crashed a long-range effort into the top corner shortly after Watkins' opener. 7

Douglas Luiz: Luiz had an attempt on goal in the 25th minute, but his shot was blocked. He should have been awarded an assist when he lofted the ball forward for Watkins to race onto, but the striker failed to take the chance just minutes after giving Villa the lead. 6

Jadon Sancho: Sancho offered little in terms of chance creation from the right wing. He took care in possession, but didn't threaten Lille too often. 5

Morgan Rogers: Rogers played a ball through to Watkins in the 27th minute, but Mandi thwarted the Villa striker. He was demanding possession from his teammates, wanting to make things happen. 5

Emi Buendia: Buendia was off the pace in the first half, giving the ball away and committing more fouls than he would have liked. He then came up with an assist for Watkins, heading the ball forward for the striker to nod past Ozer. 5

Ollie Watkins: After being denied a goal by VAR last time out against Chelsea, Watkins ended his goalscoring duck by heading over Ozer in the 61st minute. He should have doubled the lead soon after but tried to round the Lille goalkeeper in a one-on-one. 7