Ollie Watkins back among the goals as Villa earn first-leg advantage | OneFootball

English teams have had a bad time of it in Europe this week but Aston Villa manages to grind out a one-goal advantage against Lille.

It was far from a liveliest first half in France with much for the first period spent watching Emiliano Martínez stand over the ball unopposed, hoping for the Lille to try and take the bait and press – they rarely did.

It wasn't until late in the first 45 minutes where we saw some entertainment with Morgan Rogers showing his skill while Olivier Giroud came close to connecting properly with a header that could well have put his team ahead.

The opening goal did eventually come with an hour gone as Ezri Konsa hoofed a ball up with Emiliano Buendía doing really well to win the knock-on header that allowed Ollie Watkins to get his head on the end of it and at long last find the net. That was the striker's first goal in Europe this season and his first for the club since January 25th.

Watkins then had a great chance to get a second as Douglas Luiz set him away and in behind the defence, one-on-one with goalkeeper Berke Ozer. The Villa man tried going around Ozer, who pulled out of any attempted tackle, but failed to hurdle the goalkeeper and went to the ground looking for a penalty that wasn't given. 

He may have had a case but he should have done far better with that golden opportunity.

Lille struggled to find a way through Aston Villa's defence with Olivier Giroud often an isolated figure up top as Villa looked to see out the game and take a narrow lead back to England.

For Unai Emery, this was a much-needed win and just their second in seven games ahead of what could prove to be an important game for Champions League positions when they face Manchester United at the weekend.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

40':

Missed opportunity. Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa takes a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sails over the goal. The assist came from Emiliano Buendía.

43':

Missed opportunity. Olivier Giroud from Lille attempted a header from the right side of the six-yard box but sent it wide to the left.

45':

Opportunity wasted. Romain Perraud from Lille attempted a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed high and wide to the right following a corner kick.

45':

Missed opportunity. Romain Perraud from Lille takes a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sails high and wide to the right following a corner kick.

45 +3':

Missed opportunity. Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa attempted a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area, but it went wide to the left. The assist came from Jadon Sancho.

49':

Missed opportunity! Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa took a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area, but it went wide. The assist came from Lamare Bogarde.

49':

Missed opportunity! Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa attempted a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area, but it went wide. The assist came from Lamare Bogarde.

Aston Villa takes the lead with a score of 1-0 against Lille. Ollie Watkins scores with a header from the middle of the box, directing it into the upper part of the net. The assist comes from Emiliano Buendía, who also used his head to set it up.Aston Villa takes the lead with a score of 1-0 against Lille. Ollie Watkins scores with a header from the middle of the box, sending the ball into the top center of the net. The assist comes from Emiliano Buendía, who also used his head to set it up.Aston Villa takes the lead with a score of 1-0 against Lille. Ollie Watkins scores with a powerful header from the middle of the box, sending the ball into the upper part of the net. The assist comes from Emiliano Buendía, who also delivered a header.

61':

GOAL Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) scores!

Ollie Watkins scores goal number 1 in the competition (9 matches)

65':

Missed opportunity. Amadou Onana from Aston Villa attempted a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it went wide.

82':

Opportunity wasted. Emiliano Buendía from Aston Villa attempted a right-footed shot from the middle of the penalty area, but it went just wide. The assist came from Morgan Rogers, who delivered a cross.

82':

Opportunity wasted! Emiliano Buendía from Aston Villa took a right-footed shot from the center of the box that went just wide. The setup came from Morgan Rogers, who delivered a well-placed cross.

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match