Roger Federer, an ardent Basel supporter, was up in the stands, in the posh seats to be precise, but even he could surely ignore his allegiances and appreciate the grace with which Youri Tielemans clinched victory for Aston Villa.
Unai Emery turned to Tielemans at half-time and the midfielder delivered within eight minutes, his classy first-time finish regaining the lead, after Evann Guessand’s early strike was cancelled out. This represented a 14th victory in their past 16 matches and it felt a significant one, too, given the pileup at the top of the table amid the scrap to advance automatically to the last 16 in March.
Then came an ominous message from Emery. “We can’t stop,” he said. “The Europa League is very important for us – to be favourites, it depends if we are playing consistently, getting in the top eight. There are other teams progressively getting better. This competition is very difficult. But of course we are motivated, focused and we want to enjoy each moment, share emotions with our supporters. “
That is what playing in Europe is all about. We have had those exciting moments in the Conference League, Champions League and now the Europa League. Three points today gives us confidence for the process.” Villa are third on 15 points after a fifth win from six matches, but only five points separate Lyon, who are top, and Red Star Belgrade in 17th.
On the eve of this fixture, Xherdan Shaqiri, who returned last year to the club he first joined aged eight, insisted Basel can beat anyone here. Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all departed this stadium empty-handed across the past 15 years and on touchdown in Basel, Emery was quick to acknowledge that the Swiss side’s recent form also commanded respect.
Basel had won their previous seven home matches in this competition, including two this season. Villa, of course, know all about the power of home form having lost just twice at Villa Park since August 2024; it has fuelled their surge up the Premier League and they return to domestic duty at West Ham on Sunday.
Emery, determined to add a fifth Europa League win to his CV, knows there is a balance to strike between this competition and the league, which remains the priority. Villa made eight changes from their stoppage-time victory over Arsenal, with Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa and Amadou Onana the trio to retain their starting berths. Emiliano Martínez and Pau Torres, who was forced off through injury last weekend, were absent altogether. Martínez was again missing with a back problem, which forced him to pull out of the starting lineup at Brighton last week. “It is not a big problem,” Emery said.
Rotation equals opportunity and Guessand seized his chance on 12 minutes in scruffy circumstances. Marwin Hitz, the Basel goalkeeper, punched a Villa corner clear but Shaqiri’s clearance cannoned off the calf of an unknowing Philip Otele and Guessand, on the slide, showed awareness to locate the bottom corner to score his second Villa goal, both coming in this competition.
Basel thought they had equalised courtesy of a crisp Léo Leroy finish approaching the half hour, but Dominik Schmid was ruled offside in the buildup following a review by the video assistant referee. Federer had to sympathise with a close call, commonplace in his previous life. Six minutes later, Shaqiri floated a free-kick into the box and Flavius Daniliuc gambled. So did Marco Bizot, the Villa goalkeeper deputising for Martínez, rushing from his goal towards the penalty spot, where Daniliuc flicked the ball into the net. Emery winced on the touchline. Basel’s Muttenzerkurve, home to their ultras, turned up the volume.
Villa underwhelmed in the first half and Emery recognised as much, introducing one of his most trusted players in Tielemans at the break. He replaced Cash and Lamare Bogarde shifted to right-back. Emery has masterminded Villa’s turnaround from relegation strugglers to European regulars and perhaps he also has psychic powers. At this point, Villa supporters probably believe he is capable of anything.
Just as it seemed Villa were huffing and puffing, Bogarde threaded a pass into Emiliano Buendía, who cleverly held off his marker and rolled a pass into the path of an advancing Tielemans on the edge of the box. On the move, the Belgian connected beautifully, coolly side-footing a shot low into the bottom corner before hurtling towards the pocket of Villa fans to celebrate. “Of course when we are winning, every plan more or less makes sense,” Emery said.
Villa should have extended their advantage five minutes later when Jadon Sancho squared for Guessand on the edge of the six-yard box but the winger blazed over. Emery called for the cavalry soon afterwards, Boubacar Kamara, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins entering from the bench midway through the second half. But ultimately Villa did not have to overexert themselves.
