Aston Villa turned their fortunes around as they took a 1-0 win in the opening match of their Europa League campaign against Bologna, their first win in any competition this season.
John McGinn scored the first home goal of the season for the Villa faithful after they struggled to get off the mark in the Premier League. Ollie Watkins had the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot but his run without a goal continues.
A positive showing for Aston Villa is exactly what they needed after their league form sees the side that played in the Champions League last season without a win in their opening five games, and while there are still things that need improving, a better showing is what Villa Park got.
But what are the biggest things we learnt tonight at Villa Park? GB News reveals the key three takeaways from tonight’s game.
CONFIDENCE IS KEY FOR UNAI EMERY’S SIDE
John McGuinn scored the first home goal of the season for Aston Villa
|REUTERS
It’s no secret that Aston Villa have not had the start to the season they would have hoped after their impressive campaigns from previous years, and Emery will be looking to use tonight’s performance as a catalyst to keep energy high within the side.
Following McGuinn’s opener, Villa looked like a completely different side than the opening 10 minutes; they went from a side pinned in their own half to relentlessly firing in corners, and arguably, they should have been more than one goal up at halftime.
The side looked completely different from the Villa that had been seen in the opening five Premier League games this season.
JUST IN: F1 star set for set for return for first time since horrifying accident that left him hospitalised
There were fast-flowing attacks, with great creativity, as well as stout defence, something Emery was extremely critical of in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland, where he labelled his defence as “lazy.”
A positive hour for the side saw, Ollie Watkins and Jadon Sancho, brought on to try and secure the second goal and feed off that confidence.
Unfortunately for Watkins, the confidence didn’t come to him as he had the chance to end his run of eight games without a goal and double Villa’s lead, but his shot from the penalty spot was sent straight at the keeper and his goalless run continues.
**SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY GB NEWS SPORTS NEWSLETTER HERE**
VILLA’S DEFENSIVE DIFFICULTIES STILL A WORRY
Oliie Watkins could not convert his penalty shot
|REUTERS
Following the draw with Sunderland, Emery called his defence “lazy” as he felt his team should have won that match.Emery has the most games managed in the Europa League with 93 and will be hoping for a long run into the tournament with the side that he has, but the defensive issues need to be sorted sooner rather than later.
Multiple times in the game, Villa were saved only by an offside flag. There was a lot of space down the wings that Bologna exploited, and Villa had to be bailed out by the crossbar at one point to keep the lead.
With such strong creativity going forward, the defensive issues for Emery’s side are going to be a major sticking point as the season progresses. The side gets too easily boxed in and seems focused on playing out against teams with a high press, something which nearly caught the team out on a few occasions this evening.
The final 10 minutes of the game were nervy as the side looked to defend the lead they had worked so hard to forget. The atmosphere around Villa Park started to quieten as fans became concerned about the win slipping away.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
VILLA PARK WILL BE A TEST FOR OPPONENTS
Aston Villa comes into the Europa League as a strong favorite to go all the way in the tournament. If they were to go all the way, they would win their first trophy in almost 30 years, and Villa Park would have a major part to play in that.
The iconic stadium was bouncing as McGuinn fired home the deciding goal, and from that moment on, the atmosphere in the stadium changed, and fans and the team began to believe in the team again.
Throughout the first half, every kick, challenge, and attempt was roared on by the home crowd in an attempt to kickstart the season for Unai Emery’s side.
Unai Emery will still have work to do to get the best out of his side
|REUTERS
Aston Villa will now turn their attention to their Premier League clash with Fulham this weekend, aiming to build on the positives from their Europa League encounter and improve their league form.