Aston Villa beat Ajax comfortably and were rampant in the second half of their UEFA Europa Conference League second leg clash at Villa Park, book their place in the Quarter Finals of the competition. Both teams played out a tight first half although Ollie Watkins separated the sides at the break.
The second half was where Villa were ruthless and made it a comfortable victory. Leon Bailey making it a second in the 60th minute after receiving the ball on the right hand side, the winger shifting the ball onto his right before finishing low into the left hand corner.
Duran was Villa's third goal scorer the striker scoring an absolute thriller after blasting the ball into the net from outside the box the ball initially being controlled by Moussa Diaby then falling into the strikers path. Diaby himself would get the fourth on the night after a mistake from Borna Sosa giving him the opportunity to smash in from close range.
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Ollie Watkins is a goal machine
Having the best season of his career with Aston Villa, Watkins was called up to the England squad a few hours before the clash with Ajax. A composed finish for his goal laid the foundations of the clash before he went off having picked up a knee injury minutes before. Villa fans will be hoping the injury is nothing too serious. Watkins has been pivotal for the Claret and Blue army all season and will be hoping to play a massive part in securing the Conference League trophy this season.
Having goals and assists to his game has taken the striker to a different level. Jamie Carragher mentioned on Monday Night Football recently how the best strikers always bring an aura to the dressing room. Goals and assists make a complete striker and Ollie Watkins has that in abundance, his name is amongst the British elites this season, such as Harry Kane who has been phenomenal for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
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Morgan Rodgers looks to have a promising future
Having been given place in the starting lineup, the highly rated youngster had an impressive game, having a few attempts on goal himself. Playing in such a prestigious competition will only give Rodgers a lot of experience and the confidence to take his game forward. Although Villa were up against a poor Ajax side on the night, Rodgers still had a point to prove to Unai Emery considering there are many games ahead to play in the latter part of the season.
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Tim Iroegbunam has taken to Emery's style
Unai Emery has a soft spot for young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam who has taken to his style very well. Having been given opportunities against Tottenham Hotspur and now Ajax, he hasn't been shy of giving a good performance. Although Villa lost against Spurs - which was a reality check for Emery's men - Iroegbunam stuck in there trying to make things happen. Only 20 years old, having broken through Villa's academy the youngster also had part of his youth career at West Bromwich Albion. He had a successful loan spell at Queens Park Rangers before being recalled by his parent club giving more midfield options to Emery.
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Unai Emery knows how to win in Europe
The only game Unai Emery lost in the UEFA Europa Conference League was on the opening day against Legia Warszawa away from home. He has since learned from the tactical side and has got his calls spot on. Having been a three times Europa League winner with Sevilla, winning the same competition with Villarreal and being a runner up with Arsenal, Unai knows how to navigate European competition and has been very successful in achieving his honours domestically.
In his press conference after the Ajax game the Villa boss said, "we tried to connect with our supporters and wanted to share with them in the same way. We knew before the match we needed to play better than we did away and we had to use our advantage at home which we did. Overall we was very disciplined. These two matches was an experience for us and being focused in these matches and respecting them, playing 180 minutes learning our tactical things and practising some combinations with the players in the squad. We wanted to get the best performances out the players by giving them confidence, trying to feel strong at the same time."