Villa suffer Champions League setback
Monaco 1 - 0 Aston Villa
Aston Villa missed the opportunity to all but guarantee their place in the Champions League knockout stages after a narrow defeat to Monaco at the Stade Louis II.
The only goal of the game came in the eighth minute when Wilfried Singo headed in from close range. Emiliano Martinez had done well to block Thilo Kehrer's initial effort, but Singo was quickest to react.
Villa struggled to find their rhythm but did create chances to equalise. Monaco’s goalkeeper, Radoslaw Majecki, made two key saves before half-time, first stopping Leon Bailey after some neat play by Emiliano Buendia and then comfortably dealing with Ollie Watkins’ shot, also set up by Buendia.
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Monaco thought they had doubled their lead early in the second half, but Maghnes Akliouche’s strike was ruled out for offside. Despite the setback, the hosts continued to threaten, twice breaking through Villa’s defence, only to be denied by desperate last-ditch blocks.
The defeat means Unai Emery's team will likely need a win against Celtic at Villa Park next Wednesday to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase.
For Monaco, the victory significantly boosted their own hopes of automatic qualification, bringing them level with Villa on 13 points.
Watch the highlights
The video below contains some of the best moments from the match. The footage is from the TNT Sports YouTube account.
More reaction to a bad night for Villa
Aston Villa may feel that they’ve missed a significant opportunity, knowing that a win would have almost guaranteed their progression to the knockout stage. Monaco, on the other hand, has struggled recently, having won only one of their last eight matches across all competitions, with three out of their last five home games ending in defeat.
However, Villa's away form has been poor as well. Before Tuesday's match, they had lost six out of their nine away games, although their most recent results included a 1-0 victory against Everton and a 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
We managed to speak with one Villa fan who watched the match from the home end. Thomas told us: "It was a dismal display from us, especially given the importance of the occasion – and sadly, it’s a pattern we’ve seen all too often this season. The team has struggled to find any real consistency from one game to the next, often looking passive in crucial moments. Against sides that sit deep, Villa have lacked creativity and ideas, making it far too easy for opponents to frustrate them."
