Youri Tielemans makes ‘incredible’ impact in Aston Villa win vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Youri Tielemans nearly marked his Aston Villa return with a stunning assist against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Villa secured a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday as they got back to winning ways in the Europa League at Villa Park.
There was plenty of controversy surrounding the clash, with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from Villa Park weeks ahead of the fixture.
Unai Emery’s side let their football do the talking and were grateful to welcome Tielemans back after weeks out with injury for Villa.
Tielemans almost capped his return in perfect fashion as he left Lucy Ward stunned on the gantree in B6.
Youri Tielemans made stunning impact vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Tielemans has been absent at Villa for 10 games after picking up an injury back in September, as the Villans drew 0-0 with Everton.
The Belgium international was missing throughout the early-season struggles as the claret and blue outfit struggled for points and goals.
That has since changed, with Villa picking up big results against both Tottenham and Manchester City in recent weeks.
The ex-Leicester City man missed all these games but was finally welcomed back with open arms against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
It took no time for him to get in the groove as he played Donyell Malen in behind with a superb pass, just seconds after coming on.
While speaking on TNT Sports, Ward was astounded by the midfielder’s through ball, saying: “That’s incredible. It was a reverse ball into Malen, and the keeper kept him out.
“He gave everyone the eyes and went the other way.“
Tielemans welcome return for Aston Villa
There was excitement among supporters when the 28-year-old was named on the bench for the Europa League clash.
That was only enhanced when he was given 15 minutes off the bench, before going on to show Villa fans what they’ve been missing.
Tielemans maintained a 92 per cent pass accuracy and created a chance instantly after entering the field.
Given the state of play when he came on, he wasn’t forced into a defensive action, but that didn’t stop him from winning one duel, while being fouled once.
Having also won nine duels and contributed four defensive actions in his last 90 minutes against Belgium, it appears that he is already back to his best.
Emery will have to manage his minutes moving forward, but as cameos go for a player returning from a long-term injury, they don’t get much better.
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