Aston Villa returned to winning ways at Villa Park on Thursday night as Unai Emery’s side booked a place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals, an occasion that saw Leon Bailey shine.
All the disappointment of last week’s results seemed to evaporate from Villa Park on Thursday evening as Aston Villa progressed to the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League.
The dominating 4-0 win over Ajax saw Unai Emery’s side become the first Villa squad to reach a major European quarter-final since 1998, with a host of stars shining on the night.
Aston Villa were back to their best against Ajax
After playing out a 0-0 draw in the first leg, it took the hosts 25 minutes to open to scoring in the tie, as Ollie Watkins headed home his 22nd goal of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Englishman’s night worryingly ended just after he netted the opener as he struggled to recover from what appeared to be a knock to his knee.
Villa had no time to dwell on their talisman’s injury as Emery’s side found their stride midway into the second half, opening the floodgates to see Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby get on the scoresheet.
While there were four different scorers on the night, there was one player who stood out as a star performer against the Eredivisie outfit, as Bailey looked to be back to his best.
Leon Bailey was outstanding for Aston Villa against Ajax
In a performance that was contrasting to the one seen on Sunday during the defeat to Spurs, the Jamaican was heavily praised by the TNT Sports commentary team, with Lucy Ward leading the compliments for the winger.
Speaking in reaction to the 26-year-old’s goal, Ward said:
“The best thing about Leon Bailey this season is how unpredictable he is. Terrific play. Creative, scores goal, absolutely on fire.”
It was a fine piece of solo play from Bailey, who showed delicate footwork in the box to leave Ajax’s defence spellbound before slotting the ball in the net to double the host’s lead.
Ward was joined by her commentary partner, Ian Darke, who dubbed the Villa winger as “magic” for his actions resulting in his goal.
“Absolutely brilliant, magic feet and that might have put Villa in the quarter-finals. The finish was exemplary.”
It was a relief to see Emery deploy the Jamaica international on the right flank after switching him to a central role against Spurs, with his revert back to the wide channels tonight rewarded by his outstanding display.
It’s difficult to think where Villa would be without Bailey this season, who once again showed just how dangerous he can be in the manager’s free-flowing system.
