Aston Villa and Ajax both saw red in a cagey and feisty 0-0 draw at Johan Cruyff Arena on Thursday evening, moving neither side closer to reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Unai Emery's men, perhaps stifled by the explosive noise from the Ajax ultras, struggled for productivity throughout the first leg in Amsterdam.
Most of the activity was left to the end as Ezri Konsa and Tristan Gooijer were both given their marching orders by referee Enea Jorgji in the 83rd and 86th minutes respectively. Konsa, who had received a yellow in the first half for handling the ball when knocked over, saw a second when Chuba Akpom went down under pressure. Both players were tussling for the ball as it was played in behind but Konsa was the one punished. Gooijer's sending-off was a little more straightforward as he two-footed Lucas Digne just moments after receiving a fair first booking.
The hosts' compact midfield made it tricky for the Villans to assert any true control at any stage, with Douglas Luiz and Tim Iroegbunam hardly able to get out of the central third of the field. Moussa Diaby brought the first save of the match but the effort was tame and straight at Diant Ramaj, while Brian Bobbey's offside close-range header forced Emiliano Martinez into a much trickier stop down the other end.
The Ajax number nine had an even better opportunity in the 34th minute and he really should've scored as he was played clean through on goal by Jorrel Hato. Brobbey edged out Ezri Konsa for pace and had just Martinez to beat but the shot was poor, fired into the near side netting. Some sections of the Johan Cruyff Arena thought the ball had nestled for 1-0 but they were soon disappointed when reality struck.
Emery made a surprise substitution at the interval as he replaced Pau Torres, bringing on Matty Cash in his place. It didn't change a great deal as Ajax enjoyed more of the ball at the beginning of the second half and were the next to have a chance as Iroegbunam's slip allowed Kenneth Taylor to drill a low cross into the six-yard area. Martinez did well to dive on the ball, however, taking it away from several attackers darting forward.
Villa made two more changes just after the hour mark as Moussa Diaby and Morgan Rogers were replaced by John McGinn and Leon Bailey. It was Ajax with the next big opening yet again, though, as Taylor called Martinez into action. The midfielder connected with a cutback powerfully, directing a shot towards the bottom left corner but Villa's number one did excellently to parry the ball away from danger.
There weren't any big chances after, with the red cards for Konsa and Gooijer taking centre stage. The fate of this European round of 16 tie will be decided at Villa Park next Thursday. In the meantime, here are our Villans player ratings from the first leg in Amsterdam.
1. Emiliano Martinez - 7
The goalkeeper made two decent saves – one to stop Brobbey’s close-range header as he didn’t know the attacker was offside and another to deny Taylor. Martinez, who made some good claims when necessary, often endured deafening whistles for time-wasting.
2. Ezri Konsa - 5 (red card 83')
Konsa was sent off for two yellows, the first for handling the ball when knocked over and the second for pulling Akpom down to the ground as one of the last defenders. It was a shame as he otherwise did well to usher Ajax forwards away with his body, showing composure to take the ball away from danger.
3. Clement Lenglet - 6
Lenglet had mixed success engaging in an intriguing physical battle with Brobbey. The striker was dealt with on several occasions but there was one mistake as Lenglet dragged him to the ground, giving away a free-kick in a dangerous area.
4. Pau Torres - 7 (off at HT)
Pau was solid in dealing with Brobbey, especially when pressed. The defender was composed with his passing, too, but was taken off at half time. Emery will be asked why post-match.