August 23, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa put on an attacking masterclass in their 5-0 rout of Hibernian in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying playoff on Wednesday.
Ollie Watkins led the way with a hat-trick, while Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz added goals in a match that was effectively over by halftime. Villa wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking the lead in the 17th minute through Watkins’ header. The English striker added his second in the 32nd, before Bailey made it 3-0 right before the break.
Watkins completed his hat-trick just after half-time, before Luiz converted a penalty to round out the scoring. The match demonstrated the gulf in quality between the English Premier League and Scottish Premiership. Hibernian offered little resistance to Villa’s relentless attack. The 5-0 scoreline actually could have been even more lopsided in favour of the visitors.
With the rout, Villa have one foot in the Europa Conference League group stage. Barring a shocking turnaround in next week’s second leg, Villa will officially qualify for European competition for the first time since 2010. Manager Unai Emery showed he was taking this match seriously, making just one change to the starting XI that thrashed Everton 4-0 over the weekend.
For Hibernian, this match was humbling and deflating. After much excitement over hosting an EPL giant, the Scottish side was simply outclassed. The contest served as a reality check, as Hibs generated little attack and saw their defense ransacked by Watkins and Villa. Barring a miracle, their European run will come to an end next week at Villa Park.
About the Author
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.
