After securing their spot in the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 victory against Brighton on Sunday, Aston Villa will return to Europe for the first time in almost a decade to compete in the competition.
On the last day of the season, at Villa Park, goals scored in the first half by Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins helped the team coached by Unai Emery earn a seventh-place finish in the Premier League standings.
After taking over for the fired Steven Gerrard in October, Villa finally made its long-awaited return to continental competition, which was a suitable reward for Emery. The Spaniard has had a significant effect since taking over for Gerrard.
After a disastrous first stint in the Premier League with Arsenal, Unai Emery has won over his skeptics by bringing Aston Villa into their first European tournament since they were eliminated in the play-off phase of the Europa League in 2010.
The revitalization of Villa under the direction of a coach who previously held positions at Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal paves the way for what may be the club’s first place finish in the Premier League in over a decade.
“I am really proud. We prevailed over a very excellent squad, and securing a spot in Europe is the best possible ending for us,” Emery stated.
We will be in Europe, which is a pretty significant development for me. It has provided me with a great deal. It’s a wonderful thing.
“From a historical perspective, this is a fantastic squad. We have a long-standing claim to the title of European Cup champions. Now is the time for us to work on getting better and taking the next logical step forward. This marks the beginning of the process.”
Sixth-placed Prior to their match at Villa Park, Brighton had already clinched a spot in the Europa League, making it the first time in the club’s history that they will compete in European competition.
Since Brighton had nothing to play for, they presented the perfect opportunity for Villa to take the lead after only eight minutes of play.
Jacob Ramsey was the architect of the plan when he was given an excessive amount of time on the left to select the player who was not marked. The Brazilian midfielder scored the goal from right on the edge of the penalty area.
After 26 minutes of play, Villa increased their advantage to 2-0 when John McGinn won the ball in the middle of the field and Leon Bailey sent Ramsey racing for the goal as Watkins provided support.
Watkins was able to finish off the game with relative ease thanks to Ramsey’s header that got through Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.
Seven minutes before the break, Brighton’s Deniz Undav scored a goal to cut the team’s lead in half.
Undav made a darting run clear to hook the ball beyond Emi Martinez after Villa were caught sleeping by Pascal Gross’s fast free kick.
Martinez made a save for Villa right before halftime, which allowed them to maintain their composure and maintain their advantage against Undav.
Emery and his players will be able to get their passports ready for a trip to Europe since Villa was able to maintain their composure in the second half.