Aston Villa secured their place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a resounding victory over Ajax at Villa Park marking their first appearance in the last eight of a major European competition since 1998. Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, substitute Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby found the net in a memorable night for Villa fans. Watkins opened the scoring with a superb header before being forced off due to injury.
Despite Ajax’s attempts including a near miss cleared off the line, Villa extended their lead with goals from Bailey and Duran. Ajax’s Sivert Mannsverk was sent off before Diaby sealed Villa’s triumph. Manager Unai Emery’s successful tenure at Villa continues with the team progressing after he took over from Steven Gerrard. The victory against Ajax signifies Villa’s return to European prominence with Emery guiding the club to their first major European quarter-final in 26 years.
The match also saw a tough return to England for Ajax’s Jordan Henderson who faced boos from the home fans and endured a challenging performance. Henderson’s struggles contrasted with Villa’s triumph as they look ahead to the quarter-final draw.
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