Aston Villa played out an eventful 0-0 draw against Ajax on Thursday evening.
It’s a result that puts Villa in a good position ahead of next week’s second leg in the West Midlands.
Moussa Diaby saw an early striker easily saved before a couple of good chances for Ajax in the first half.
There was late drama as Ezri Konsa was dismissed for a second yellow card, ruling the 26-year-old out of the second leg.
Ajax also finished the game with ten men as Tristan Gooijer saw red for a late tackle.
Talking about the incident, Unai Emery was a reasonably relaxed figure after the game.
Unai Emery reacts to Ezri Konsa Aston Villa incident
The Spaniard insisted that he respects officials’ work and that they must also be protected.
“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.
Most Aston Villa fans will be more than happy with a draw in Amsterdam. The Villans are a formidable opposition at Villa Park and will fancy their chances of making it through to the last eight.
On the whole, 0-0 is a fair reflection of proceedings. Per FotMob, both sides managed four shots, with one on target each.
Villa must improve, but they should have too much next week if they do. Next up is a huge Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are five points adrift of Villa, having played one game fewer. A win for either team will be monumental in the race for the top four.
Villa are currently sweating on the fitness of Jacob Ramsey. The midfielder was forced off against Luton Town, and question marks remain over whether he will feature on Sunday.
Emery said before the Ajax draw: “He is not available for tomorrow. He doesn’t have a big injury, but we have to wait every day to see how he is progressing to be available for the next match on Sunday.
“But it’s good news it’s not again a big injury like he had before.”
