March 15, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa secured a convincing 4-0 victory over Ajax in the second leg of their Europa Conference League tie to progress to the quarter-finals. However, their celebrations were tempered by an injury scare to striker Ollie Watkins, who limped off after scoring the opening goal.
Watkins, named in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad earlier on Thursday, headed Villa in front midway through the first half. However, his joy was short-lived as he suffered a knee problem just eight minutes later and was forced off.
Unai Emery’s men dominated the second half with Leon Bailey, John Duran and Moussa Diaby all finding the net. Their dominant victory sets up a first European quarter-final for Villa since the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup campaign.
The English side will be considered favourites to win the competition now. The level of opposition remaining is significantly weaker, with the final to be played in Athens in May.
The severity of Watkins’ injury is a major concern for both Villa and England. The striker is crucial to Villa’s push for a top-four finish in the English Premier League and was also likely to be involved in next week’s international friendlies for the Three Lions.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
