Aston Villa player ratings v Lille: 2/10 Moussa Diaby invisible, MOTM Emi Martinez in 9/10
Aston Villa advanced to the Europa Conference League semi-finals thanks to a dramatic 4-3 penalty shoot-out in the second leg on Thursday (18 April).
Having won 2-1 in the first contest a week ago, Villa were beaten by the same scoreline as the tie finished 3-3 on aggregate.
Yusuf Yazici opened the scoring after just 15 minutes, which tied up the aggregate score with Villa’s 2-1 win in the first leg before Benjamin Andre added a second from a corner to take the lead.
Matty Cash eventually came to the rescue, taking the tie to extra time after rocketing home a spilt cross from Lucas Chevallier. The sides had to be separated by penalties.
Emiliano Martinez was then incredibly key to the victory as he saved penalties from Nabil Bentaleb and Andre in a shoot-out filled with drama.
Villa News rates the performance of each player out of 10 using stats supplied by Sofascore and FotMob.
Matty Cash to the rescue for Aston Villa
Emi Martinez – 9
Could not have done anything about either of Lille’s goals, but kept his side in the game with a fine save with his face to deny Benjamin Andre from close range – a shot with 0.41 xG. Became the hero during the penalty shootout with two crucial saves.
Matty Cash – 8
Was the main attacking threat for the Villans, having scored a late goal to send the match to extra time. Dealt with Gabriel Gudmundsson well, finishing the match with a 100 per cent tackle success.
Ezri Konsa – 5
Maintained a 94 per cent pass completion but few passes were probing through the Lille team, with only two going into the final third. Won 100 per cent of his ground duels but was unable to deny either of Lille’s goals.
Pau Torres – 5
Struggled to get to grips with Jonathan David’s pace but grew into the game as time ticked on. Steady figure in defence but needed more aerial presence as he only won 33 per cent of aerial duels.
Lucas Digne – 6
Slow to react to Yazici’s opening goal, but made up for his slack defending by winning 75 per cent of his ground duels and 100 per cent of his aerial duels.
John McGinn (Off for Jhon Duran 80′) – 4
Nowhere near his comfortable usual self, having been cast out to the right flank to make room for Tielemans and Luiz. Likes to drift inside by Lille’s pressure meant he had to stay wide and be a lesser influence in the match.
Youri Tielemans – 5
Did well to escape the Lille midfielders, battling hard to win 83 per cent of his ground duels and 100 per cent of aerial duels. Lucky not to give away a goal early in the second half after losing possession for the third time.
Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby go missing v Lille
Douglas Luiz – 5
Exemplary 96 per cent passing accuracy as usual, but failed to make any important impact in midfield as Lille dominated proceedings in the middle of the park. Could only win 33 per cent of his ground duels.
Nicolo Zaniolo (Off for Morgan Rogers 28′) – 3
Picked up an early yellow card, having won just 40 per cent of his ground duels and touching the ball six times. Only lasted 28 minutes before being replaced by Rogers due to injury.
Moussa Diaby (Off for Leon Bailey 70′) – 2
Almost invisible throughout the match despite taking more touches than his attacking partner, Watkins. Was dispossessed on four occasions and registered a 0 per cent crossing accuracy.
Ollie Watkins – 4
Very quiet match by Watkins’ standards, making just 21 touches. Villa entered the half-time break with no shots, with Cash having the first effort after 56 minutes. Won three fouls and won 60 per cent of his ground duels in an attempt to push his team up the pitch.
Substitutes
Morgan Rogers (On for Zaniolo 28′) – 5
Made a better impact than Zaniolo, maintaining an 81 per cent pass completion and winning 50 per cent of his ground duels, though he was cautioned for a foul by referee Ivan Kruzliak.
Leon Bailey (On for Diaby 70′) – 8
Offered plenty of threat in the final third. Maintained a 100 per cent shot accuracy, delivered one successful cross, and won 100 per cent of his tackles and 100 per cent of his ground duels.
Jhon Duran (On for McGinn 80′) – 7
Played a huge role in Villa’s goal as he challenged the Lille goalkeeper, leading to Cash’s lethal strike three minutes from time.
In other Aston Villa News, Emery may risk “annoying” some Villa stars with a new selection decision against Lille
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