Aston Villa suffered a blow to their hopes of securing a spot within the prime eight of the Champions League after dropping 1-0 away at Monaco.
Wilfried Singo’s header within the eighth minute proved the totally different on the Stade Louis II as an underwhelming Villa aspect misplaced for the second time of their European marketing campaign.
The consequence leaves Unai Emery’s males clinging onto their top-eight place with nearly all of their Champions League rivals nonetheless to play on Matchday 7. The Midlands aspect face Celticat house of their closing group sport.
Monaco, in the meantime, have climbed as much as ninth within the standings as they went stage on factors with Villa and bolstered their hopes of mechanically reaching the final 16.
The guests loved the higher of the early exchanges but it surely was Monaco who went forward first when Singo headed in from shut vary after Emiliano Martinez had initially saved from Breel Embolo’s header.
Aston Villa go behind inside ten minutes 👀
Wilfried Singo is alert to move Emiliano Martínez’s preliminary save over the road, giving Monaco an early lead!
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— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) January 21, 2025
Villa appeared unsettled by objective as they made a lot of sloppy misplaced passes, one from Ezri Konsa forcing a powerful save from Martinez to thwart Maghnes Alkiouche’s shot.
The guests settled once more and had been on prime for a lot of the second half, albeit with out carving out too many alternatives. Lucas Digne tried his luck with a free-kick from 25 yard however his well-struck effort was simply gathered.
Leon Bailey was then unlucky to not stage the rating from shut vary after a pleasant ball from Emiliano Buendia discovered the Jamaican through a wise Ollie Watkins contact.
The perfect likelihood of the half for Villa got here on the dying when Watkins was fed by by one other nice Bunedia by ball however the Villa striker’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Radosław Majecki all the way down to his proper.
A superb mixture between Emi Buendía and Ollie Watkins, however the Villa striker sees his effort pushed around the publish 😫
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There was then time for Monaco to overlook a gilt-etched likelihood when Alkiouche couldn’t hold his shot down after discovering achres of area from shut vary.
Villa began the second half nicely as Watkins raced clear down the left earlier than discovering Morgan Rogers, who couldn’t fairly bend his effort contained in the publish with the surface of his boot.
Alkiouche then thought he had made it 2-0 after tapping house from shut vary however the 22-year-old made his run too early and was flagged for offside.
Emery launched Jhon Duran to play alongside Watkins to try to encourage Villa but it surely proved in vein, with possibilities few and much between within the closing half hour of the encounter.
Matty Money was fed by on objective by Rogers however the right-back might solely scuff his shot broad.
