John Townley's Aston Villa Player Ratings After 2-1 Europa League Win at Basel

Aston Villa extended their remarkable winning streak to eight games with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over FC Basel in the Europa League at St. Jakob-Park. The match saw Evann Guessand open the scoring for Villa, only for Basel’s Flavius Daniliuc to equalize before halftime. However, substitute Youri Tielemans restored Villa’s lead in the second half, securing all three points.

Villa’s European form remains impressive, marking their fifth win in six group stage matches, with previous successes against Bologna, Feyenoord, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and BSC Young Boys. This win also ended Basel’s dominant run; the Swiss side had not lost a home Europa League match for nearly eight years, boasting a streak of seven consecutive home wins prior to this fixture.

Villa began strongly, with goalkeeper Marco Bizot called into action early. In the 12th minute, Matty Cash’s corner caused chaos in Basel’s defense, allowing Guessand to score his second goal since joining Villa this summer.

Basel appeared to level through Leo Leroy, but the goal was disallowed by VAR for offside. Shortly after, Daniliuc capitalized on a cross from Xherdan Shaqiri to make it 1-1. Villa’s control waned as the first half progressed, reflected in a modest expected goals figure of 0.19.

Unai Emery introduced Youri Tielemans at halftime to reignite the team’s creativity. The Belgian midfielder responded instantly, scoring from the edge of the box to put Villa back in front. The introduction of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Boubacar Kamara, and later John McGinn helped Villa withstand Basel’s late pressure.

Despite Basel’s efforts to equalize, Villa’s resilience stood firm—a trait Emery would be proud of given their earlier league setback to Go Ahead Eagles. With only two losses in their past 16 matches and 14 wins, Villa are displaying significant consistency. They have also recorded nine wins in 11 major European matches this calendar year, the club’s best ever.

Villa’s Premier League campaign resumes Sunday against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Player Ratings:

Marco Bizot (6): Reliable in goal, made key saves and decisions.
Matty Cash (6): Started despite recent benchings; impactful early but replaced at halftime.
Ezri Konsa (7): Solid defensive presence and captain’s leadership.
Victor Lindelof (7): Versatile and accurate; completed the most passes.
Lucas Digne (7): Effective on his Europa League starting debut this season, linking well down the left.
Lamare Bogarde (7): Mature performance in midfield and right-back.
Amadou Onana (7): Active and effective before being substituted.
Evann Guessand (6): Scored but struggled with possession.
Emi Buendia (6): Frustrated but contributed assist for the winning goal.
Jadon Sancho (6): Creative in attack but limited impact later on.
Donyell Malen (6): Worked hard, but lacked goal threat.
Youri Tielemans (8): Game-winner and key creative spark after coming on.
Ollie Watkins (5): Effortful but quiet on goal chances.
Morgan Rogers (5): Minimal involvement.
Boubacar Kamara (6): Helped stabilize defense when introduced.
John McGinn (N/A): Late appearance without notable impact.