Aston Villa booked their place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals with a dominating 4-0 win over Ajax on Thursday night, a result that not only the attackers received praise for.
Unai Emery couldn’t have hoped for his Aston Villa team to respond in a better way than they did against Ajax on Thursday night.
Following the lows of their 4-0 defeat to Tottenham last Sunday, the Villans presented their home fans with a more enjoyable 4-0 viewing, as Emery’s side swept Ajax aside.
The result means that Villa have reached the quarter-final of a major European competition for the first time since 1998, giving Villa Park plenty to cheer about after last week’s disappointment.
Unai Emery watched Aston Villa get back to their free-scoring ways v Ajax
After playing out a stalemate in Amsterdam, it took the Villans 25 minutes to open the scoring in Birmingham as Ollie Watkins headed home the opener from Douglas Luiz’s cross.
It was a combination that Villa are used to seeing this season in front of goal, with the scorer of the host’s second also not coming as a surprise.
Leon Bailey finished off a sublime solo move to double Villa’s lead in the second half, opening the floodgates as Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby added to the scoresheet.
While the four goals will rightfully steal the headlines, it was an impressive effort for the back line and Emi Martinez to secure a clean sheet, particularly after conceding eight in their previous three games at Villa Park.
Pau Torres received high praise for his display vs Ajax
One member of the defence that was assured as ever was Pau Torres, who marshalled the back four expertly to keep the threat of the visitors at bay throughout the contest.
During the first half, the Spaniard was lauded by TNT Sports commentator Lucy Ward for his composure in a tidy passage of play against Ajax’s pressure.
Reacting to the £100k-a-week ace’s calm nature, Ward said:
“He’s a Rolls-Royce, Torres.”
Ward’s statement wouldn’t be argued with anyone associated with Aston Villa, as the centre-back has been one of Emery’s key players throughout the campaign.
On the night against Ajax, Torres won 100% of his ground duels, as well as making two clearances and registering 45 passes, as per Sofascore.
Having the Spain international back fully fit is a significant boost for Villa after his injury woes at the start of 2024, with the £31.5m summer signing proving to be pivotal to the manager’s plans.
The post 'He's a Rolls-Royce...': TNT Sports pundit blown away by £100k-a-week Aston Villa star during Ajax win appeared first on Aston Villa News.