Unai Emery leaves Aston Villa side unchanged while trailing at the half | OneFootball

It was how Unai Emery said Aston Villa would play. Open, fearless, and without worrying about playing for the result. The Spaniard let it be known that he would ask his players to go down swinging and to fight like it was only halftime of a match while losing after an open 45 minutes of any other fixture.

In the actual first half of the second leg, however, Villa supporters saw what going for the result would mean. Looking to press higher up the pitch, the PSG outside backs got involved, joining the attack. They saw the French side gain a 2-1 advantage in the match and 5-2 on aggregate.

Maybe the Europa League anthem at the start was a sign of how the initial minutes would play out. All in all, the players on the pitch did what was asked and didn't play scared or in a way that suggested they were simply trying to avoid losing. By the same token, PSG showed just how strong they are and what happens when they decide to send numbers forward.

In a sense, the opening half demonstrated that Emery had it right with his first-leg approach. Going on the road is always difficult anyway, and exposing the back line to this French attack at Parc des Princes would have meant an insurmountable gap for AVFC to consider hoping to overcome.

Rare moment from Aston Villa No. 1

Unfortunately, the biggest gaffe that happened during the match itself came from one of the most solid performers in the sport. Emiliano Martínez came out to repel a low-driven but largely manageable ball in his box. The usually sure-handed number one repelled the attempt back to Achraf Hakimi, and he pushed the PSG advantage further.

Youri Tielemans had a legitimate shout for a penalty toward the end. This proved to be a significant decision, as a given foul would certainly have meant a red card. The Belgian did use the anger in a productive way, as his shot then brought one back for the hosts.