Aston Villa have all but booked their place in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) after beating Hibernian 5-0 in the first leg of the playoff round.
Ollie Watkins scored his first goals of the season, becoming only the fourth Villa player to net a hat-trick in Europe, after Peter Withe, Gary Shaw and Stan Collymore, with Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz also on the scoresheet in Scotland.
Watkins' hat-trick v Hibernian
A dream European debut. 😍
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 23, 2023
Three goals for Ollie Watkins tonight! 👌 pic.twitter.com/Z1bBXba0qQ
Unai Emery named a strong side for Villa's first European match since 2010, making only one change from the side that beat Everton 4-0 on Sunday, with Diego Carlos coming in for Matty Cash.
After easing into the contest, Watkins gave Villa the lead on 17 minutes with a towering header from Lucas Digne's cross.
Watkins nodded in from close range to double Villa's advantage before Bailey added a third before half-time, heading in from another Digne assist.
Having initially been ruled out for offside, Watkins' third goal was awarded following a VAR review, and Douglas Luiz added a fifth with 16 minutes remaining from the penalty spot, after substitute Bertrand Traore had been fouled.
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The only blemish on a near-perfect night for Villa was a possible injury picked up by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was replaced by Robin Olsen at the break.
The second leg against Hibernian takes place at Villa Park on Thursday 31 August, while Emery's men are next in action on Sunday, when they travel to Burnley in the Premier League.
