Ollie Watkins helps Villa win in France in Europa League

Aston Villa secured a valuable 1-0 away victory over Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday night. 

The Premier League side produced a disciplined performance at the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre-Mauroy, putting themselves in a strong position ahead of the return leg at Villa Park next week.

The match was tightly contested in the first half, with both sides struggling to create clear chances. Lille enjoyed spells of possession in front of their home crowd, but Villa’s defence held firm. 

The teams went into the break level at 0-0 after a cautious opening 45 minutes.

The decisive moment came in the 61st minute when Ollie Watkins broke the deadlock for the visitors. 

The England striker scored with a looping header after connecting with a cross from Emiliano Buendía, giving Villa the crucial lead in the tie.

Lille pushed for an equaliser in the latter stages, creating several opportunities. Substitute Matias Fernandez-Pardo tested Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez with a powerful shot from distance, but the Argentine produced an excellent save to preserve the lead.

Villa also had chances to extend their advantage. 

Watkins nearly doubled his tally after running through on goal, but Lille goalkeeper Berke Özer managed to disrupt the attack, and the referee awarded a free-kick to the home side instead of a penalty.

The win marked Unai Emery’s 100th victory as Aston Villa manager and gives his team a slight edge heading into the second leg. 

If Villa avoid defeat at Villa Park next Thursday, they will secure a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.

However before then, Aston Villa will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday before the return leg of the Europa League last-16 clash in front of their home fans.