Ollie Watkins delivered a moment of brilliance to hand Aston Villa a crucial 1-0 victory against Lille in their Europa League last-16 first leg.
The England striker produced a superb looping header after latching onto Emi Buendia’s clever flick-on, beating goalkeeper Berke Ozer with real improvisation just after the hour mark.
It’s a result that ends a frustrating run for Unai Emery’s side, who hadn’t won in their previous four matches across all competitions.
Villa now head into the return fixture at Villa Park on March 19 as clear favourites to reach the quarter-finals.
Ollie Watkins scored a sublime header to give Villa the win
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REUTERS
The four-time Europa League winning manager knows exactly what it takes to succeed in this tournament.
The opening 45 minutes offered little in the way of excitement, with both teams struggling to create clear opportunities and misplacing passes in the final third.
Watkins’ goal was actually Villa’s first shot on target all evening, and it certainly woke the match up.
The chances started flowing after that. Amadou Onana struck the crossbar with a curling effort from outside the box, while Watkins himself couldn’t convert when found one-on-one with Ozer.
Buendia also went close late on, sending an acrobatic volley just wide from around 12 yards.
What a goal that was 💥
Ollie Watkins lifts the ball over the Lille goalkeeper with his head to give Aston Villa the lead 💫
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplus pic.twitter.com/pj5U5pMI8v
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 12, 2026
Villa really should have extended their advantage given the opportunities that came their way after breaking the deadlock.
Lille showed they’re not to be underestimated, though. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud came agonisingly close to connecting with a header in the first half, glancing the ball across the face of goal.
Emi Martinez also had to produce a solid save from Matias Fernandez-Pardo after Villa had taken the lead.
The goalkeeper faced jeers throughout the evening following his antics during Villa’s 2024 Conference League penalty shootout at this venue.
It’s worth remembering that Lille lost their play-off first leg at home to Red Star 1-0 before overturning the deficit in Serbia.
The winners of this tie will face either Bologna or Roma in the last eight.
