John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery's side beat Bologna in the Europa League quarter-finals
Aston Villa have booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals
Aston Villa have booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
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Aston Villa cruised into the Europa League semi-finals after beating Bologna 4-0 at Villa Park, securing a 7-1 aggregate victory.
Ollie Watkins scored his 100th goal for the club to open the scoring on the night, before Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers effectively killed off the tie before half-time. Ezri Konsa then bagged a fourth late in the second half.
Villa have now won 16 of their last 18 home matches in major European competitions, including their last nine in a row. They have also claimed victories in six of their last seven knockout-stage games at Villa Park.
Unai Emery named the same starting XI that won 3-1 in Italy last week, and Watkins gave the hosts the perfect start by tapping in from close range in the 16th minute, converting Rogers’ cross after a neat exchange of passes with Buendia.
Rogers soon came close to doubling the lead with an effort of his own, but Federico Ravaglia scrambled across his line to push the ball wide. Shortly after, Rogers had a better chance to increase's Villa's advantage.
Referee Jose María Sánchez was advised to review a potential handball by Martin Vitiki and subsequently pointed to the spot, but Ravaglia denied Rogers.
Moments later, Lucas Digne took a quick throw-in that allowed Buendia to burst into the box and beat Ravaglia from a tight angle at his near post.
The Italian goalkeeper should have done better again in the 39th minute when Rogers struck on target, but the goalkeeper was unable to prevent the England international from adding a third for Villa.
Despite the tie being all but over at half-time, Emery chose not to substitute John McGinn, Rogers, Digne, or Matty Cash at the break, even though they were at risk of missing the first leg of the semi-final if booked.
Villa came close to extending their lead in the second half was when Leon Bailey broke forward and picked Digne out on the left, before the full-back's effort was saved by Ravaglia.
Konsa then added a fourth by volleying the ball in after Bologna failed to deal with a corner in the final stages of the tie.
Villa have now kept five consecutive home clean sheets against Italian clubs in major European competition, with the last player to score at Villa Park for an Italian team being Zbigniew Boniek in a 2-1 Juventus win in the European Cup in March 1983.
They'll be tasked with beating Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals of the Europa League following the Reds' win over Portuguese title-chasers FC Porto at the City Ground.
Player ratings
Emi Martinez
Martinez was fit enough to start tonight after pulling out of the starting XI last weekend. He had little to deal with today. 7
Matty Cash
After Rowe got the better of Cash in the first leg, Villa's right-back made sure he didn't let anything get past him tonight. 8
Ezri Konsa
Konsa won the vast majority of the duels he contested and managed Bologna striker Santiago Castro well. Took his goal nicely too. 9*
Pau Torres
It was another strong performance from Torres in the heart of defence alongside Konsa. 8
Lucas Digne
Digne retained his place in the starting XI once again after rediscovering form in recent weeks. His quick-thinking led to Buendia's goal. 8
Amadou Onana
Bologna struggled to keep a lid on Onana's power in midfield. He stuck to his task even though the tie was over by half-time. 8
Youri Tielemans
Made it look easy again this evening. A class act for Villa, Tielemans continues to demonstrate why he is one of the top midfielders in the country. 7
John McGinn
McGinn was excellent in midfield and set the tone for a perfect first half. He came off to a standing ovation just after the hour mark. 7
Emi Buendia
Buendia now has eight goals for the campaign across all competitions after doubling Villa's lead on the night. 8
Morgan Rogers
Rogers played a key role in Villa's opener, exchanging a couple of passes before rolling the ball on a plate for Watkins to convert. He then called Ravaglia into a sharp save before the Italian goalkeeper saved his penalty. 8
Ollie Watkins
A century of Villa goals. Watkins bagged his 100th for the club when he tapped in from close range. It was a goal all strikers would be proud of, as he found space in a crowded box and simply knocked it in. 8
SUBS
Leon Bailey (for McGinn, 64'): Bailey played off the right after coming on. Tried to get at his man a few times. 6
Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 64'): Abraham's game time has been limited in recent weeks - he was given a little longer to impress today. 6
Jadon Sancho (for Rogers, 75'): N/A
Douglas Luiz (for Tielemans, 75'): N/A
Lamare Bogarde (for Onana, 79'): N/A
Subs not used: Bizot, Wright, Lindelof, Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Maatsen.
GOALS
Aston Villa: Watkins (16'), Buendia (26'), Rogers (39'), Konsa (89')
Bologna: N/A
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