PLAYER RATINGS: Moussa Diaby stood out for Aston Villa during 4-2 defeat by Olympiacos – as three team-mates desperately disappoint in semi-final first leg, writes LEWIS STEELE
- Villa have a test ahead of them after a 4-2 defeat in the Europa Conference League semi-final
- While Diaby and Watkins scored, a slew of ropey performances failed to impress
- Were Jude Bellingham’s Allianz antics out of line? Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Aston Villa failed to beat Olympiacos at Villa Park and face a tough task in Greece after losing 4-2 to the travelers on Thursday evening.
The hosts managed to draw themselves level with the travelers after Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side gave themselves a two-goal cushion thanks to Ayoub El Kaabi, who would end the evening with a hat-trick.
While goals from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby either side of half-time kept Unai Emery’s men in the hunt, their sloppiness against aggressive European opposition was clearly visible, with Douglas Luiz first to concede a penalty for El Kaabi to head home .
Santiago Hezze’s deflected strike put Olympiakos back in front and Villa were unable to recover from the deficit, with Luiz missing a late penalty to give them everything to do next week.
Here, Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele discusses the hosts’ performances on a tricky evening in the Midlands.
Douglas Luiz conceded from one end and missed from the other in Villa’s Europa Conference League match
Olympiacos put in a rampant performance at Villa Park and returned home with a two-goal cushion
Robin Olsen followed in the wake of Emiliano Martinez and in his place experienced a night to quickly forget
Robin Olsen-4
This was his big night, as the Swede came on for suspended number 1 Emi Martinez. He’s won titles in Denmark and his native Sweden, plus World Cup quarter-finals and in the cauldron of Stadio Olimpico for Roma, so it was a bit of an exaggeration to suggest this was the biggest game of his career, but it felt defining . Started well, but wasn’t commanding enough.
Matty Cash-5
Came out slowly for Olympiacos’ second goal, playing Ayoub El Kaabi onside. I could go up and down the right flank well, but the last ball was often missing.
Ezri Konsa-4
Not his best night as Olympiakos continually had runners from deep causing problems, not least hat-trick hero El Kaabi. He could hardly be blamed, as the Greek team’s fourth goal was deflected, but it was the summary of a bad evening.
Clement Lenglet – 4
Gave the ball away cheaply for Olympiacos’ second goal and looked off the pace all evening. It seemed bizarre that Spanish defender Pau Torres was a substitute.
Lucas Digne-5
He was ineffective when moving forward and his corners from the right were often overcooked and swept up by Olympiacos defenders. The crossing was poor and wayward.
Clement Lenglet (left) and Ezri Konsa (right) looked far from their best on Thursday evening
Lucas Digne’s attempts to spur Villa’s attack were sloppy and his cross wayward
Leon Bailey – 6.5
Had the ball in the net early and got into some nice areas everywhere. Provided a nice assist for Diaby’s goal, but left back Francisco Ortega often got the upper hand in duels.
John McGinn-5.5
Struggled in the first half as Olympiacos dominated the midfield battle. After the break he grew into the game and started spraying passes around, but it was quite ineffective.
Douglas Luiz-5
Villa’s midfield was too often second best when losing balls and was overrun especially in the first half. Luiz lacked his usual control of matches and his missed penalty summed up his evening.
Morgan Rogers-6.5
Thought they had opened the scoring after six minutes, but were denied by a great save from Kostas Tzolakis. However, the January arrival continued his good form, constantly popping up in dangerous areas.
Moussa Diaby-7
Always chooses the right option and was one of the signings of the season in the Premier League. He poked through a lovely ball in front of Watkins’ goal and then provided a neat finish himself at the start of the second half after a nice off-the-ball run.
The Brazil international’s heavy run from the spot meant his final shot slid wide
Moussa Diaby claimed Villa’s second place after the break and briefly drew them level
Ollie Watkins did score, but did little else to boost Villa’s chances in the first leg
Ollie Watkins-6.5
I never doubted that he would score if Diaby poked through on goal, despite it being a relatively difficult chance to convert. Did little else though.
Substitutes
Jhon Duran (for Rogers, 74min) – 6
Nicolo Zaniolo (for Diaby, 85)
Timothy Iroegbunam (for Bailey, 85)
Not used: Joe Gauci, James Wright, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Kaine Kesler Hayden, Finley Munroe, Omari Kellyman, Kadan Young.