Aston Villa player ratings after their penalties victory against Lille, despite losing 2-1 on the night, to progress into the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
Villa played their biggest game of the season on Thursday night as they travelled to Lille for the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie.
Unai Emery’s side came into the tie 2-1 up after their victory at Villa Park. However, things could have not got off to a worse start in France as Lille quickly took the lead through Yusuf Yazici.
Benjamin Andre then put Lille in front in the tie before Matty Cash levelled the match late on.
No one could find a way through in extra-time despite a golden chance from Douglas Luiz. Penalties then decided the tie in a chaotic shootout.
Emi Martinez saved Lille’s first penalty before receiving a red card, a decision that was soon overturned. Leon Bailey would go on to miss one from the spot for Villa before Martinez saved again to send Villa to the semi-finals
GK – Emi Martinez – 8/10
Arguably, the most hated footballer in France, it was almost a night to forget for the goalkeeper. Martinez could do little about the opener. He made a fantastic stop to prevent it from going 2-0 on the night before the 30-minute mark. He then somehow managed to pick up a yellow card in the first half for timewasting.
When the game went to penalties it was Martinez’s time to shine and he went on to save the first penalty in the shootout. However, his night looked to have ended early when the referee gave him a second yellow but this was soon overturned. The ‘keeper then stepped up again to save another penalty in sudden death to send Villa through.
RB – Matty Cash – 7/10
Didn’t cover himself in glory for the opener as the cross came down his side. Should have netted after Morgan Rogers played the full-back through. He appeared to be offside on the replays, so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.
Cash was one of the players who showed more urgency when Villa found themselves losing the tie. The full-back fired a piercing effort at the ‘keeper before taking advantage of a dropped ball to blast the ball into the net to take the visitors to extra-time.
CB – Ezri Konsa – 8/10
Looked confident throughout the game and added a bit of composure to a nervy Villa side in France. Despite all of the host’s pressure, Konsa made sure Emery’s side stayed in the tie until Cash netted the vital equaliser.
CB – Pau Torres – 6/10
Pau Torres did nothing wrong at the back. Set-pieces continued to be a problem for Villa again but this is a collective issue the team needs to sort. The Spaniard made a dazzling run in the first half as he ran through multiple Lille players before spraying the ball wide.
LB – Lucas Digne – 6/10
The fullback had a quiet game and was able to withstand the majority of Lille’s pressure throughout the match.
CM – John McGinn – 5/10
Villa needed their captain to step up in Lille but he did little in the match. When the first goal went in, many will have looked to their captain for answers. However, McGinn could not lift the players as the pressure continued to pile on them before he was subbed off with the team 2-0 down.
CM – Youri Tielemans – 5/10
Tielemans could not recreate his performance against Arsenal on the weekend with a poor showing in France. The midfielder was very lucky not to see Lille score from his mistake after he gave the ball away in the second half. Overall a sub-par performance.
CM – Douglas Luiz – 5/10
Like many of the Villa side, Douglas Luiz struggled to make an impact on the game in the first 90 minutes. The midfielder should have put the visitors ahead in extra-time when Bailey’s shot was parried to the Brazilian who could only force another save from the ‘keeper.
RW – Moussa Diaby – 5/10
Like Arsenal, Diaby couldn’t make an impact on the game. In arguably Villa’s biggest game of the season, they need the Frenchman to step up in his homeland. However, this was not the case and instead, he went missing for large parts of the match.
ST – Ollie Watkins – 7/10
Aston Villa could just not get their star man into the game. Watkins had few if any chances throughout with Lille dominating the attack throughout. Therefore, late on, the striker took things into his own hands as he whipped in a dangerous ball which eventually led to Cash’s goal.
LW – Nicolo Zaniolo – 5/10
Picked up an unnecessary yellow card early on. Zaniolo was then subbed off at the 30-minute mark after picking up a knock.
Sub – Morgan Rogers – 6/10
Played a decent ball into Matty Cash which gave the full-back a great chance. Rogers was arguably the most creative player on the field for Villa in the first 90 minutes despite creating little.
Sub – Leon Bailey – 8/10
Bailey changed the game when he was subbed on. He added some extra energy to the visitors upon his appearance from the bench. Forced a good stop from the ‘keeper before Douglas Luiz also failed to put it into the net.
Even defensively Bailey helped out making a vital interception in the extra time to relieve Lille’s pressure. Despite his good work on the pitch, he could not convert from the spot in the shootout.
Sub – Jhon Duran – 6/10
Helped to add a focal point up top. Almost won the game late on after his effort was saved by the ‘keeper.
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