Zrinjski Mostar 1-1 Aston Villa: Unai Emery’s side finish top of their UEFA Conference League group despite draw as Nicolo Zaniolo scores his first goal for the club
- Only Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Douglas Luiz retained their places in the squad.
- On an uneven pitch, Villa struggled to make any impression in the first half.
- Manchester United fans must be SCARED about traveling to Anfield It all begins
Aston Villa’s underwhelming performance against Zrinjski Mostar has raised further questions about Unai Emery’s squad for the rest of the season.
Although Unai Emery’s men collected the points they needed to win their group and avoid the Europa Conference League play-off round in February, the manager will be far from happy with the performance as he made eight changes to his starting line-up. However, they successfully qualified for the 1/8 finals.
Nicolo Zaniolo put the visitors ahead with his first Villa goal just after the hour mark. But Zrinjski missed four good chances to equalize before Matija Malekinusic equalized three minutes from time with a spectacular strike.
Only Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Douglas Luiz retained their places in the squad after last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal, leaving Villa just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Emery is certain to have his key players restored for Sunday’s trip to Brentford. On an uneven pitch, Villa struggled to make much of an impression in the first half.
Former Roma player Nicolo Zaniolo scored his first goal for Aston Villa since his move.
On an uneven pitch, Villa struggled to make any significant impression in the first half.
As in the first game at Birmingham in October, Zrinjski sat deep as Villa struggled to find an opening.
The breakthrough came in the 61st minute when substitute captain John McGinn crossed from the left and Zaniolo dealt with it deftly before tucking the ball home from close range.
The Italian has not been in the best form since joining Galatasaray on loan last summer and Villa are hoping that will help him settle in.
This should have allowed Villa to return home, but they lost concentration. Rookie goalkeeper Philip Marshall provided an easy chance for Aldin Hrvanovic, who came off the bench empty but was then denied by some smart work from Marshall.
Josip Corluka had also missed two chances earlier but the home side celebrated extravagantly three minutes from time when Malekinusic raced inside with his right foot to beat Marshall from 20 yards.
The result raised questions about the composition of Unai Emery’s squad for the remainder of the season.
Emery will be far from happy with the performance, as he made eight changes.
