Emery’s Villa Take Control of Conference League Group with Emphatic 4-1 Win at AZ Alkmaar
Unai Emery’s love affair with European football continues, as his Aston Villa side secured an impressive 4-1 away victory over AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Villa raced into a two-goal lead through Leon Bailey and Youri Tielemans, before Ollie Watkins and John McGinn added further gloss to the scoreline.
Villa’s performance was all the more impressive given that AZ Alkmaar had won eight and drawn one of their nine league games this season. However, Emery’s side were simply too good for their Dutch opponents, and they dominated the match from start to finish.
Emery’s squad has now scored four goals in two consecutive matches, and they sit top of Group E in the Europa Conference League. The Spaniard will be delighted with his team’s progress so far, and they will be confident of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition.
Talking Point:
One of the most impressive things about Aston Villa’s performance was their squad depth. Emery was able to rotate his side heavily, and yet they still managed to produce a domineering performance. This suggests that Villa have a good chance of competing on multiple fronts this season.
Player of the Match:
Youri Tielemans was Villa’s outstanding player against AZ Alkmaar. The Belgian midfielder played in an advanced role, and he scored a superb goal to put his side 2-0 up. Tielemans was also a constant threat to the AZ defence, and he linked up well with his teammates.
Overall, this was an excellent performance from Aston Villa. They were simply too good for AZ Alkmaar, and they will be confident of continuing their good form in the Europa Conference League and the Premier League.
