Emery's glory! Villa wins 1-0 away at Lille; only one victory among 9 Premier League teams in the first leg of European quarter-finals

In the early hours of March 13 Beijing time, Aston Villa challenged Lille away in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.

The first half saw no breakthroughs from either team, ending in a 0-0 draw; in the second half, Watkins broke the stalemate with a header, Buendia assisted, and later Watkins missed a solo opportunity.

Finally, Aston Villa defeated Lille 1-0 away, grabbing the initiative to advance to the Europa League quarter-finals. This victory also marked Emery's 100th win as Aston Villa's manager. After the match, Aston Villa's official team congratulated the Spanish coach.

Aston Villa's victory carries significant weight; in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, among the teams from the top five leagues, only Aston Villa secured a win. Bologna drew 1-1 with Roma, Betis lost 0-1 to Panathinaikos, Stuttgart fell 1-2 to Porto, Celta drew 1-1 with Lyon, Freiburg lost 0-1 to Genk,Nottingham Forestlost 0-1 to Midtjylland.

Aston Villa's 1-0 away win over Lille represents Emery's 100th victory as manager, stands as the sole win among top-five league teams in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, and also marks the only victory among the nine Premier League teams participating in the first leg of the three-tier European quarter-finals (Premier League's six Champions League teams: two draws, four losses; two Europa League teams: one win, one loss; one Conference League team: one draw,Crystal Palace 0-0 AEK Larnaca). Fortunately, the Europa League is also Emery's cup; otherwise, the Premier League, touted as the top league, would face embarrassment with zero wins in the first leg of the three-tier European quarter-finals. Thanks to Emery, Aston Villa is fully committed to pursuing the Europa League championship.