Aston Villa beat Lille 1-0 as Unai Emery secures his 100th victory
Ollie Watkins scored his first goal in eight matches as Aston Villa secured a crucial 1-0 away victory over Lille in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
The decisive moment at Stade Pierre-Mauroy arrived just after the hour mark when Emiliano Buendia flicked on Ezri Konsa’s lofted pass.
Watkins showed immense composure to lift a header over advancing goalkeeper Berke Ozer and break his recent scoring drought.
Amadou Onana almost doubled the English side’s advantage moments later, but the Belgian midfielder saw his curling effort strike the woodwork.
Emery reaches managerial milestone
The hard-fought triumph in France marked Unai Emery’s 100th victory since taking charge of the Midlands club.
It provides a much-needed confidence boost for the Premier League outfit after suffering three defeats in their last four domestic outings.
The visitors had to weather sustained pressure from the hosts during the closing stages of the first half before establishing control.
“We played very seriously,” Emery told VillaTV.
Respecting European opposition
“We were always organised and we played trying to defend strongly, trying to get some transition with the ball and to dominate with the ball – and we did it,” the 52-year-old manager explained.
The former Arsenal and Paris St-Germain boss emphasised the necessity of acknowledging the threat posed by continental rivals.
“We respect this competition because we know the difficulties of each match in Europe, away, and how it is for the English teams,” he added.
Emery admitted his team did not create an abundance of chances but praised their clinical response to the pre-match tactical plan.
Crucial domestic test awaits
Despite taking a slender advantage into next week’s second leg at Villa Park, the defensive unit remains wary of complacency.
“That was a victory we really needed,” Konsa told the Uefa website.
“It hasn’t been going too well for us the last couple of months but we showed what we are all about today,” the centre-back added.
The squad must now quickly refocus their attention towards a vital top-four clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
“We got the goal and got the win but we are not going to get too comfortable,” Konsa warned.
“We have to focus on next week now and finishing the job.”
