Villa Make It Eight in a Row as Tielemans Fires Europa League Winner
Aston Villa’s outstanding run of form continued in the Europa League as Unai Emery’s side claimed an impressive win over Basel — their eighth consecutive victory in all competitions.
Emery rotated heavily after last weekend’s dramatic Premier League triumph over leaders Arsenal, yet new signing Evann Guessand set Villa on their way with his second goal since joining from Nice.
Basel, with tennis legend Roger Federer watching on, equalised through Flavius Daniliuc, who finished smartly from a clever set-piece routine created by former Liverpool and Stoke midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.
For the third match in a row, Villa found their decisive moment through a substitute.
After Donyell Malen struck in the seven-goal thriller at Brighton, and Emiliano Buendia netted late to beat Arsenal, this time it was Youri Tielemans who stepped off the bench to seal Villa’s fifth European win of the season.
Tielemans curled a superb effort from the edge of the box after Buendia teed him up — his first club goal since May.
The result keeps Villa firmly on track for a place in the last 16, with 15 points from six matches and fixtures against Fenerbahce and Red Bull Salzburg still to come. Their streak of eight straight wins is also their longest top-flight run since 1914, when they recorded 11 in a row.
Villa analysis: Emery’s machine keeps rolling
This victory will have pleased Emery for multiple reasons.
Not only did it maintain Villa’s incredible momentum, but it arrived in the very stadium where he lifted his third Europa League title with Sevilla in 2016 — a fitting reminder of his pedigree in this competition.
Emery made eight changes to the side that beat Arsenal, with only Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash and Amadou Onana keeping their places.
With a tough trip to West Ham on the horizon, key players including Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and Morgan Rogers were either rested or used sparingly.
Despite a few shaky moments, Villa controlled the key phases and fully deserved the win. They are guaranteed at least a play-off spot and one more victory should secure automatic progression into the knockout stages.
Remarkably, Emery’s team have now won 14 of their past 16 matches in all competitions — a stark contrast to their early-season struggles, when they failed to win any of their opening six league and cup fixtures and went four games without scoring. They are now among the most in-form sides across Europe’s top leagues.
What’s next?
Villa face seven Premier League fixtures before European duties resume, starting with a trip to West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday. Their next Europa League outing comes away to Fenerbahce in Turkey on 22 January.