Aston Villa were held to a 0-0 draw with Ajax on an eventful night in Amsterdam for Unai Emery’s side.
There was very little between the two sides, with just four shots each during the 90 minutes.
In a feisty end to the game, Ezri Konsa was sent off for a late challenge, which earned the defender a second yellow card.
The 26-year-old will now miss next week’s return leg at Villa Park. Ajax also finished the game with ten men as Tristan Gooijer saw red for a late tackle.
Talking about the incident, Emery cut a reasonably relaxed figure after the game.
“I respect the referee. We can make mistakes – players, coaches, referees. Referees are doing difficult work, and we have to protect them as well,” he said.
Clearly, Villa struggled to get into a rhythm on Thursday, and the hosts deserve credit.
The Spaniard acknowledged that the atmosphere and intensity of the home side made life extremely difficult.
Aston Villa players’ upset’ in Ajax draw
In his post-match press conference, Emery was impressed by the home side’s intensity.
“I am happy. I accept their work and tactical plan. They were intense and they won more duels than us,” he said.
The Villa boss explained how he thought his players were unsettled at times on Thursday evening.
He added: “The players were a bit upset because they were not feeling very comfortable, but I told them to compete is the most important thing.”
Pretty much any Aston Villa fan would have taken a draw at the start of the night.
Ajax are enduring a tough season but are still among Europe’s elite in stature; it was never going to be a walk in the park.
Emery will be delighted his team made it through relatively unscathed ahead of the weekend fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs head to the West Midlands five points adrift, having played one game fewer. It’s a fixture neither team can afford to lose.
