Ezri Konsa praised Aston Villa’s defensive resilience after they edged Lille 1–0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 clash on Thursday night.
The decisive moment arrived in the second half when Ollie Watkins rose to head home his ninth goal of the season, giving Villa a crucial advantage at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
While Watkins provided the breakthrough at one end, Villa’s backline held firm at the other.
Konsa and his defensive teammates produced a determined display to secure their first clean sheet in five matches, ensuring the Premier League side take a slender lead back to Villa Park for the return leg next week.
Reflecting after the final whistle, Konsa acknowledged that the victory was a timely boost following a difficult spell for the team.
“So far, so good,” said Konsa. “It hasn’t been a good couple of months for us, we haven’t got results that we needed.
“But we knew how big today was, we needed to win.”
Villa’s defender also pointed out that the squad expected a tough encounter in northern France, having previously played at the same venue in recent seasons.
“We played here a couple of seasons ago, we knew how tough it would be.
“For me, the main thing is we kept a clean sheet, something we’ve struggled to do over the last couple of games.”
He added: “We’re not going to get too happy, we know there’s still a second leg to play for, we have to focus on that and finish the job.”
The result also ended a frustrating four-match winless streak across all competitions for manager Unai Emery’s side.
Villa headed into the match after an eight-day break following their previous encounter with Chelsea, a period that allowed the squad to recharge both physically and mentally.
Another positive moment came with the return of club captain John McGinn, who made his comeback from injury as a 77th-minute substitute.
Despite the important European victory, Konsa quickly shifted focus to the next challenge awaiting Villa in the Premier League against Manchester United.
“We had eight days leading up to this game, so we had time to prepare, time to refresh our minds and forget about the Premier League for a bit.
“But this game’s done and we’ve got another big one on Sunday.”
Looking ahead, Konsa believes the result could mark the beginning of a stronger run for the team.
“Football, there’s always ups and downs, you go through these little spells and hopefully today is the start of another good run.”
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