BirminghamLive brings you the talking points from Aston Villa's win over Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ian Maatsen opened the scoring for Aston Villa
Ian Maatsen opened the scoring for Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
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Aston Villa eased past Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night to return to winning ways in the Europa League league phase.
Having won their first two European games, Villa then fell to defeat at Go Ahead Eagles last month, putting a degree of pressure on this match.
Ian Maatsen opened the scoring late in the first half, before Donyell Malen converted a penalty in the second after Ezri Konsa was fouled.
Here are the talking points...
Villa get the job done - that's what mattered
It was a strange night at Villa Park, with the backdrop of protests impacting the atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium.
A total of 11 arrests were made during the night of protests in B6, all men or boys ranging in age from 17 to 67.
Around 700 police officers were drafted in to manage the demonstrations, which took place outside the Trinity Road Stand and the Doug Ellis Stand.
Inside the ground, 29,429 fans were in attendance - a respectable turnout given the scenes outside.
The subdued atmosphere inside Villa Park seeped onto the pitch too, with the game lacking in quality and intensity from both sides.
So it came as a surprise when Ian Maatsen broke the deadlock with a fine finish from a tight angle in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
Morgan Rogers prodded the ball into the left-back’s path before Maatsen beat goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, firing the ball off the bar and in.
It wasn’t a pretty display - particularly in the first half - but ultimately, it didn’t matter. Win. Move on.
Konsa captains Villa with class
Konsa led Villa out of the tunnel on Thursday evening - not a sight Villa fans have seen very often, if at all.
But it was a moment he fully deserved, given the level he has consistently maintained since Unai Emery’s arrival at the club three years ago.
He’s currently playing at another level, and was arguably man of the match - keeping a clean sheet and winning the penalty for Villa’s second goal.
Unflustered as ever, Konsa strolled through the game and showed his class once again.
“It's always nice to lead the team out,” Konsa told TNT Sports. “It's a role I've always wanted to do. We’ve got a great captain in John McGinn, but when he's not on the pitch, I’ve got to take responsibility.
"Since [Unai Emery] came in, I’ve understood football more and looked at it differently in terms of my playing style. I’ve really enjoyed playing under him - long may it continue.”
Speaking about the win, Konsa added: “It was clear we needed to win today with the table and how it’s going. We made it work today and got the three points.
Every team in the competition wants to go far. Our goal is to win it, like everyone else.”
Tielemans reminds Villa of big boost
Aside from the three points, a major boost for Villa came in the form of the returning Youri Tielemans.
The Belgian had been missing since the 0-0 draw at Everton, and plenty of football has been played since then.
Tielemans suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf injury a month ago, but is now back in the mix. He came on against Maccabi in the 75th minute to rapturous applause from the Villa supporters.
His first touch was, predictably, a moment of class - shimming away from a marker before playing a disguised reverse pass over the top of the Maccabi defence.
Malen latched onto it and raced through, only to be denied by goalkeeper Mishpati, who produced an excellent save to prevent the forward from scoring his second of the night.
Tielemans could be in line to start against Bournemouth, though given his recent setback, Emery may opt to introduce him from the bench again this weekend.
More questions than answers with Guessand
A worrying theme for Villa of late is that question marks over Evann Guessand are growing rather than fading.
The Ivorian has been deployed on the right wing by Emery, offering defensive balance out of possession.
However, there’s been little attacking threat from him when on the ball, and he often looks lost.
For Nice last season, Guessand scored 13 goals in all competitions and added 10 assists - proof of his quality. But his time at Villa so far has been a struggle.
It’s concerning that the £30m man has yet to show much in the way of attacking impact three months into his Villa career.
He did score against Go Ahead Eagles but missed a one-on-one soon after, while also spurning big chances against Bologna and Sunderland earlier in the campaign.
Claret & Blue verdict
What did you make of Villa's performance? Tell us here
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