In the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16, Aston Villa defeated Ligue 1 side Lille 1-0 away from home.

Thanks to Ollie Watkins' decisive second-half goal, Aston Villa not only secured a point with a superior score but also ended their four-game winless streak across all competitions.

Another highlight of the match was Aston Villa's return to defensive solidity, achieving their first clean sheet in five games. Defender Ezri Konsa, in a post-match interview, expressed his satisfaction with the team's clean sheet, stating that it was a sign of the team hitting rock bottom and starting afresh.

Konsa said, "So far, everything is going well. The past few months haven't been good for us; we haven't gotten the results we wanted."

"But everyone knows how important this game is, and we have to win. For me, the most important thing is that we kept a clean sheet, which is something we've been struggling with in the last few games."

Despite winning the first leg, Konsa remained absolutely calm and reminded his teammates not to be complacent: "We will not get carried away. Everyone knows there is still a second leg to play. We must focus on this and complete our mission to advance."

In addition to the crucial victory, Aston Villa also welcomed back captain John McGinn as a substitute after recovering from injury, which was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the team. After a valuable eight-day rest and a European victory, Konsa and his teammates have set their sights on Sunday's tough Premier League match against Manchester United.

"Football matches always have ups and downs, and you will experience these short periods of slump," Konsa added expectantly at the end of the interview. "Hopefully, today's clean sheet victory can be a good start for the team to start another winning streak."

Image source: Internet/Aston Villa official website