Following the defeat to Tottenham the weekend, Villa’s attention turned to the Europa Conference League last sixteen game against Ajax at Villa Park.
Ajax held Villa to a 0-0 draw in Amsterdam a week before and Unai Emery’s side knew they had to improve on that performance should they progress.
De Godenzonen supporters had arrived in Birmingham as early as Tuesday with some having the displeasure of watching our rivals across the city lose against Middlesbrough at St Andrews. More fans arrived on Thursday, drinking in various bars around the city centre in a confident mood and genuinely mixing well with Villa supporters.
As the game approached and fans began to make their way towards Villa Park and the surrounding areas, security was ramped up with the police not wanting to take any chances following the scenes against Legia Warszawa. From what I witnessed, Ajax fans behaved very well so it was a shame to see such scenes but I understand why the police behaved that way. Their fans were a credit to their club making themselves heard inside the ground throughout the game. Best of luck for the rest of the season Ajax!
Anyway, onto the game.
Report: Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax
It was the perfect European night. The atmosphere from both fans was rocking before kick-off and the usual fireworks and displays we have come to expect from Villa this season helped in the build-up.
Emery made four changes from the defeat the weekend as Àlex Moreno, Diego Carlos, Moussa Diaby and M...