John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery’s side beat Lille to book their place in the last eight of the Europa League
21:51, 19 Mar 2026Updated 22:04, 19 Mar 2026
John McGinn of Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa secured their passage to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Lille at Villa Park, sealing a 3-0 aggregate win.
John McGinn broke the deadlock on the night, scoring his first goal since returning from a knee injury in front of the Holte End, before Leon Bailey came off the bench to extend the lead.
Villa have now won each of their last seven Europa League games. The only English side to record a longer winning streak in the competition is Chelsea, who won eight in a row between April 2013 and November 2018 – a run that included the 2012-13 final.
Villa started brightly, with Douglas Luiz denied a goal inside the third minute when his placed effort was blocked in the Lille box after Jadon Sancho cut the ball back to the Brazilian on the edge of the area.
Sancho was involved again in Villa’s next opening, but his cross into the box, aimed at Tammy Abraham, was intercepted. Lille then went down the other end and created their first opportunity of the night, as Romain Perraud spotted Ayyoub Bouaddi’s run into the box, but the midfielder’s header cleared the bar.
In the 22nd and 41st minutes, Morgan Rogers should have shown greater care with the weight of his passing, as more accurate through balls to either Sancho or Abraham could have created one-on-one chances.
Amadou Onana had the best opportunity to break the deadlock in the first half, connecting with John McGinn’s corner and forcing Berke Ozer into action. The Turkish goalkeeper parried the ball wide, but Sancho was unable to get his feet sorted at the back post.
Villa dominated 60 per cent of possession in the first half but were also content to allow Lille to build from the back. Unai Emery’s side sat in a compact block and looked to counter, given their one-goal lead from the first leg in France.
Their plan worked perfectly in the 54th minute, as Emi Martinez claimed the ball and quickly lifted his head to spot Sancho darting down the wing before launching it into the final third.
Sancho cut inside and laid the ball off for McGinn, who calmly slotted it into the corner, leaving Ozer with no chance.
Manchester United loanee Sancho nearly made it 3-0 on aggregate when he surged forward and struck an effort off the base of the post.
Ollie Watkins replaced Abraham shortly after Villa’s opener, and he assisted Bailey for the second goal on the night, as the winger tapped into an empty net.
READ MORE: Aston Villa – the next chapter: Guillem Balague on Unai Emery’s future and Kieran Maguire talks financesPlayer ratings
Emi Martinez
Martinez’s ball down the pitch was inch-perfect for Sancho to race onto and lay off for McGinn. He joined in the celebration too – and rightly so! Outstanding from him this evening. 9*
Lamare Bogarde
Bogarde continued at right-back despite Matty Cash returning to the squad after overcoming a calf injury. He impressed again and looked comfortable in the 75 minutes he played. 7
Victor Lindelof
Lindelof returned to the starting XI for the first time in five weeks – since the FA Cup defeat to Newcastle United. He didn’t put a foot wrong tonight. 8
Pau Torres
Torres used the ball well for the most part, progressing Villa up the pitch and also providing control in the build-up. 7
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen didn’t manage to win many of the duels he competed in this evening, but he does add more dynamism in the final third than Digne. 6
Amadou Onana
Onana came closest to scoring for Villa in the first half, with his header from McGinn’s corner clawed away by Lille goalkeeper Ozer. He covered ground effortlessly and made the right choices in possession. 7
Douglas Luiz
After Ross Barkley was preferred to the Brazilian last weekend, Luiz returned to the starting XI today. If it weren’t for a crucial block in the third minute of play, the midfielder might well have handed Villa the perfect start. He won 10 of the 12 duels he competed in, registering a passing accuracy of 89 per cent too. 7
Jadon Sancho
Sancho showed his quality to stay cool, chop inside, and deliver the perfect pass for McGinn to break the deadlock, before slamming the base of the post minutes later. The 25-year-old has now started each of Villa’s last eight Europa League matches. He also created the first chance of the night, cutting the ball back for Luiz to strike from the edge of the box. 8
John McGinn
This was McGinn’s first start at Villa Park since January, when he suffered a knee injury against Everton, and he certainly marked the occasion. He made no mistake from close range after Sancho laid the ball across goal for him on the counter-attack, doubling Villa’s aggregate lead. 8
Morgan Rogers
Rogers delivered a lovely ball into Sancho’s path in the 18th minute, but the winger’s cross was then cut out. His next pass to Sancho was slightly overcooked – had it been more accurate, he would have been in on goal. It was the same story for a ball he tried to feed into Abraham’s path later in the first period. 6
Tammy Abraham
Abraham started for just the third time since returning to the club in January. He was a bit loose with his passing but gave Villa a presence to play off. 6
SUBS
Ollie Watkins (for Abraham 55′): Watkins enjoyed the luxury of having more space to run into after McGinn’s goal. Unselfish to roll the ball across the box for Bailey’s goal. 7
Matty Cash (for Bogarde, 75′): N/A
Emi Buendia (for McGinn, 75′): N/A
Leon Bailey (for Sancho, 84′): Nothing better for confidence than a goal! 7
Harvey Elliott (for Rogers, 84′): N/A
Subs not used: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Konsa, Digne, Garcia.
GOALS
Aston Villa: McGinn (54′), Bailey (86′)
Lille: N/A
Aston Villa’s 2025/26 shirts now £30
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£85
£30
Aston Villa Store
Aston Villa has reduced this season’s home, away and third, short-sleeve shirts to £30 in a flash sale running until March 23.
Follow our Facebook page!Get more news and AVFC analysis here
The latest Villa headlines sent straight to your phone
Join our Aston Villa WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click on this link and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. It’s a free service. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from our Villa writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Villa news. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click ‘Exit Group’. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. Click here to read our Privacy Notice