00:00 Aston Villa will head to Lille with a narrow one goal advantage after beating the French team 2-1 here at Villa Park.
00:07 Under the lights, Unai Emery's team not exactly comprehensive, but Oli Watkins and John McGinn's goals are enough to get that narrow lead.
00:15 Lille were pretty impressive. They had more of the ball, they were very expressive with the ball, creating plenty of chances.
00:21 Emiliano Martinez, apologies, the Villa goalkeeper, exceptional tonight, making a string of impressive saves in the first half
00:29 and then shoring things up in the second as well. Diego Carlos had an error in the first period as he played the ball back to Martinez.
00:36 Thankfully for Villa, Lille weren't able to take advantage. That was only in the fifth minute or so.
00:41 The 13th was when Oli Watkins got his goal, heading in from a corner. He'd just had an opportunity before that,
00:47 nudging a Lille defender out of the way and then getting a corner. He had a shot on target from that one and then the corner after that one was when he got his goal.
00:55 John McGinn sweeping in the corner, a fantastic ball in. Watkins was somehow unmarked for that.
01:00 I'm not sure what was going on there with the Lille defenders. Surely a lack of communication there because Watkins was able to just steam in
01:07 and head the ball into the ground for 1-0. John McGinn then, early in the second half, doubled the scoring for Villa.
01:13 A fantastic goal from the edge of the area. Douglas Luis played a short corner. Leon Bailey then played it to the edge of the area.
01:19 Bailey slipped over but it didn't matter because the pass was good enough and McGinn, his first time, opened up his body
01:25 and effectively passed the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. The goalkeeper just stood there. He didn't have any chance whatsoever.
01:31 McGinn's shot nestling in. The captain doing his usual celebration of the goggles that he loves to do and sending Villa apart wild.
01:38 But then Lille were able to get back in the game. They had a goal ruled out at the far post. It was a narrow offside.
01:45 The blush is spared there for Villa but Lille did get their goal. Diakite, the centre-back, nodding in from a corner.
01:52 I don't know what it is about Villa. They just can't seem to defend these set pieces. They can attack them fairly well.
01:57 They're always let down in the air. These aerial duels are not good enough. Diego Carlos, the man who played the ball back in the first half
02:03 to Martinez-Pauly, was outjumped by Diakite and it was costly as Lille were able to get that goal.
02:09 Of course, it is an advantage going into Lille next week. A tough place to go as well. They've only lost one game at home all season.
02:18 But it is an advantage nonetheless and a very important one. Whether Emery actually sits in with his team a bit more, I think, awaits to be seen.
02:26 He showed tonight the ability to get in behind, especially from out wide. Very susceptible to that with Konza not quite a natural right back
02:35 and then Luke Dean not quite having the pace to get there on the overlap. It will be interesting whether Villa sit in, as I say,
02:42 or if they'll go at it and try and get a goal to extend their advantage. But either way, an impressive-ish performance here under the lights
02:50 to get the goals. Very good. It's just a little bit sloppy defensively yet again and Unai Emery will be a little bit worried about that.
