Ollie Watkins brought an end to his recent goal drought by scoring the decisive goal that gave Aston Villa a 1–0 victory over Lille OSC in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 clash on Thursday.
The England international found the back of the net for the first time in eight matches across all competitions, putting Villa in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals.
Watkins’ strike in the second half was only his ninth goal in what has been a frustrating individual season so far, with just two goals coming from his previous 13 appearances.
His relief at rediscovering his scoring touch was evident as he celebrated his header at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
With the victory, the team managed by Unai Emery, who defeated Lille in the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals, will head into the return leg at Villa Park on March 19 with a clear advantage.
Villa have now won eight of their nine matches in the Europa League this season as they continue their push to end a trophy drought that has lasted three decades.
The result also provided a much-needed boost after a difficult run of form in the Premier League. Emery’s side had won just one of their last five league games, suffering a heavy defeat to Chelsea and a disappointing loss against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Beating Lille comes at an important moment as Villa prepare for a crucial league fixture against Manchester United on Sunday in their pursuit of qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
The win also marked a significant milestone for Emery, representing his 100th victory since taking charge of Aston Villa.
“Ollie is working and being consistent with his task. Then of course he’s scoring but we need more numbers with the other players,” Emery said.
“The most important thing is how we played a serious match. We know how difficult it is with the atmosphere they have here.
“For them to play an English team you can feel it a little bit, a huge motivation for the opponent.”
After all six clubs from the Premier League failed to secure victories in the first legs of their Champions League last-16 ties earlier in the week, Villa’s result provided a boost for English football.
Lille striker Olivier Giroud had previously enjoyed remarkable success against Aston Villa, scoring in each of his last eight meetings with the club while playing for Arsenal and Chelsea between 2013 and 2020.
The 39-year-old came close to extending that run late in the first half when he beat Ezri Konsa to the ball and directed a diving header just wide of the post.
However, it was Watkins who eventually broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. He connected with a flick-on from Emiliano Buendia, sending a looping header over Lille goalkeeper Berke Ozer.
Watkins later had another chance to double his tally after a through pass from Douglas Luiz sent him racing clear, but Ozer managed to do enough to disrupt the striker’s finish.
Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also played a key role, producing an important save to deny Lille substitute Matias Fernandez-Pardo as the visitors held on for the win.
Elsewhere in the competition, Lorenzo Pellegrini rescued a 1-1 draw for AS Roma in their Italian encounter with Bologna FC.
Roma, who are fifth in Serie A, found themselves trailing after Federico Bernardeschi finished clinically in the 50th minute following an assist from Jonathan Rowe.
Pellegrini later came off the bench to equalise in the 71st minute, converting a pass from Donyell Malen.
In another fixture, Portuguese champions FC Porto secured a 2-1 away victory over VfB Stuttgart after surviving a second-half fightback.
Terem Moffi opened the scoring in the 21st minute, finishing a pass from Borja Sainz.
Rodrigo Mora extended Porto’s lead six minutes later, finishing calmly after a cross from Zaidu Sanusi.
Stuttgart responded before halftime when Deniz Undav struck a powerful half-volley past goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 40th minute.
Meanwhile, Panathinaikos recorded a surprising 1-0 home victory over Real Betis despite finishing the match with ten players.
Panathinaikos defender Anass Zaroury was sent off in the 59th minute after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Abde Ezzalzouli.
However, Betis suffered a late setback when Diego Llorente was dismissed for a foul on Karol Swiderski, allowing Vicente Taborda to convert the resulting penalty in the 88th minute.
Later on Thursday, Nottingham Forest were scheduled to host FC Midtjylland.
Other fixtures saw Celta Vigo face Olympique Lyonnais, Ferencvaros meet Sporting Braga, while Genk took on SC Freiburg.
What you should know
Aston Villa are experiencing a strong European campaign under Unai Emery, who has significantly improved the club’s competitiveness since his appointment.
Villa have been one of the most consistent teams in the UEFA Europa League this season, winning the majority of their matches and positioning themselves as contenders for the title.
A deep run in the competition would mark the club’s most significant European success in decades and could also strengthen their push for qualification to the UEFA Champions League through their Premier League campaign.
