Unai Emery is one step closer to managing a team in another European competition after Aston Villa defeated Scottish side Hibernian 5-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff.
The Villans travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the first leg of the tie and hoped to get a good footing ahead of the second leg in Villa Park, Birmingham. However, the travelling fans got more than what they hoped for as Ollie Watkins scored a hattrick to help Unai Emery’s side to a huge first-leg win.
The Hibernian thrashing came just three days after Villa had put four goals past Everton in the Premier League.
Emery joined the club last season as a replacement for Steven Gerrad and helped to push the club into contention for European places. They finished in the Conference League slot but it was not certain that they would get into the competition thanks to the UEFA rule that necessitates a playoff to qualify for the competition.
Villa got a pass to the playoff based on the Premier League’s standing in the UEFA league’s rankings. Hibernian waded through the murky waters of the playoff qualifying rounds to set up a meeting with Villa. They were immediately brought back down to earth when faced with the quality of a Premier League team who are contenders for the European spots.
Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in the 17th minute and got his brace in the 38th minute. Jamaica international Leon Bailey scored just before halftime to send Villa into the break with a three-goal lead. Soon after the second half resumed, Watkins got his hattrick. The game would go on for a while and come alive again in the 74th minute when Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz added a fifth from the penalty spot. Villa are now one step closer to their first European appearance in decades.
Emery said before the game that he is hoping to replicate the magic that the class of 1982 created when they won the trophy that is now referred to as the UEFA Champions League. The Conference League may not be on the same pedestal, but Emery has shown that he can create magic in Europe with any team, as referenced by his amazing run in the Champions League with Villarreal after bagging his record fourth UEFA Europa League title a few seasons ago.
After Villa’s huge win over the Scottish Premiership side, he pointed out that it is respect for the competition and the opponents themselves that characterises his teams in this competition.
“We were very respectful of this competition,” said Emery. “We knew before the match we had to respect the opponent and be consistent in our gameplan. The mentality I want to create here is what we did today – to be focused, disciplined and keep consistent.”
Meanwhile, Hibernian manager Lee Johnson admitted that his club were nowhere near Villa. “In reality, we have a League One style budget, against the fantastic, international standard Aston Villa,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and admit there’s a gulf in class.”
The second leg will be played on 31 August 2023 at Villa Park.
