It wasn’t a particularly convincing performance, as Villa struggled throughout to impose ourselves and show enough quality in possession, but Unai Emery will be delighted with the result heading into the second leg next week.
Ezri Konsa gave us the lead in the first half and while Ollie Watkins doubled that advantage after the interval, Jonathan Rowe scored late on having impressed all game, giving Bologna hope of a comeback.
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Fortunately, Watkins struck again in stoppage time to restore our two-goal advantage, and so that now puts us in an excellent position heading into the reverse fixture.
That said, Bologna certainly showed their quality in this game, and Emery will undoubtedly ensure that his players are fully aware of the need to improve on this performance if we are to safely book our spot in the semi-finals next week.
### Aston Villa player ratings vs Bologna:
**Emiliano Martinez, 7.5 –** Made some vital saves to keep Bologna at bay through the course of the game. Beaten by an excellent strike from Rowe, but played a key role in our win.
**Matty Cash, 5.5 –** Was in all sorts of trouble trying to limit Rowe’s threat on that flank, and while he defended tirelessly, he often came out second best in that particular duel on a difficult night for him.
**Ezri Konsa, 7 –** Sloppy and too passive in the first half which caused problems for us defensively, but he stepped up and headed home our opener to make a critical impact on the game before going on to settle at the back.
**Pau Torres, 7 –** A steady performance from the Spaniard as although we struggled to play out from the back with the pressure being put on us in our own third, he was a calming influence in the backline and helped us secure an important advantage.
**Lucas Digne, 7 –** Had trouble with Federico Bernardeschi in the early stages, but settled as the contest went on and put in a solid defensive shift with his experience helping in a difficult away game in Europe.
**Amadou Onana, 7 –** Covered significant ground to help give us presence in midfield and that gradually allowed us to get into the game and secure the win. Will need to be more diligent in the second leg in helping close down and nullify Rowe though.
**Youri Tielemans, 7 –** So good to have him back in the starting line-up as he ended with two assists on the night. Wasn’t at his influential best in the heart of our midfield as we couldn’t dictate tempo and possession, but he’ll no doubt make the difference moving forward with his quality on the ball and tactical intelligence.
**John McGinn, 6 –** The Villa skipper struggled to get into this game as although he went close with a long-range effort in the first half, he wasn’t able to set the tone for the rest of the team as we struggled to keep the ball in advanced areas.
**Morgan Rogers, 5.5 –** Sloppy and wasteful in possession. Had moments where he threatened, but lost the ball on countless occasions and was disappointing. Hopeful that this was a blip rather than a sign of another dip in form.
**Emiliano Buendia, 6.5. –** Struggled through the first part of the game, but improved as the second half played out. Pressed well and forced the mistake that led to Watkins’ first goal, and then threatened with more space and time after that as we looked to build on our advantage.
**Ollie Watkins, 8 –** Excellent display. Put in a tireless shift leading the line as he made runs off the ball up top and held things up to try and bring others into the game. Rewarded with his two goals, and he was composed and clinical for his first, before taking full advantage of poor defending for his second. POTM.
### Substitutes:
**Lamare Bogarde, N/A**
**Ian Maatsen, N/A**
**Leon Bailey, N/A**