Aston Villa thrash Ajax to progress to UECL quarter-finals | OneFootball

Aston Villa advanced to the Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a stunning 4-0 win against Ajax at Villa Park.

Scorers: Watkins 25′, Bailey 60′, Durán 75′, Diaby 81′

Like the game in Amsterdam, the second-leg started in cagey fashion with neither side having much in the way of chances.

Moussa Diaby had Villa’s best opening, rounding Ajax keeper Diant Ramaj but failing to net from a very tight angle.

Ramaj would then be involved in an incident that eventually saw Ollie Watkins substituted with an apparent leg injury. The England forward slid in on the keeper as he attempted to clear the ball, and hurt himself in the process.

However, before he went off, Watkins put Villa into the lead. He met Douglas Luiz’s excellent corner with a brilliant header to break the deadlock in the tie.

Brian Brobbey had the best of Ajax’s slim chances as they came back into the game either side of the half-time whistle, but Villa doubled their lead on the hour with another great goal.

Needing a bit of inspiration, Leon Bailey provided it with a series of stepovers and a smart right-footed finish inside the box.

Things went from bad to worse for the Dutch giants with Sivert Mannsverk getting his marching orders after a second yellow for a jersey pull.

Villa took full advantage of the extra man, Jhon Durán hammering one in off the bar with a thunderous strike before Diaby added the exclamation mark with a sublime finish after streaking clear of the Ajax defence.

Unai Emery will be hoping he has both Watkins and Diego Carlos, who also went off, back for the last eight as he looks to mastermind yet another European success.