Roger Federer, an ardent Basel supporter, was up in the stands, in the posh seats to be precise, but even he could surely ignore his allegiances and appreciate the grace with which Youri Tielemans clinched victory for Aston Villa.
Unai Emery turned to Tielemans at half-time and the midfielder delivered within eight minutes, his classy first-time finish regaining the lead, after Evann Guessand’s early strike was cancelled out. This represented a 14th victory in their past 16 matches and it felt a significant one, too, given the pileup at the top of the table amid the scrap to advance automatically to the last 16 in March.
Then came an ominous message from Emery. “We can’t stop,” he said. “The Europa League is very important for us – to be favourites, it depends if we are playing consistently, getting in the top eight. There are other teams progressively getting better. This competition is very difficult. But of course we are motivated, focused and we want to enjoy each moment, share emotions with our supporters. “
That is what playing in Europe is all about. We have had those exciting moments in the Conference League, Champions League and now the Europa League. Three points today gives us confidence for the process.” Villa are third on 15 points after a fifth win from six matches, but only five points separate Lyon, who are top, and Red Star Belgrade in 17th.
