Aston Villa player ratings vs Olympiacos: Two 3/10s but one 8/10 in shock defeat

Aston Villa will travel to Athens with a two-goal deficit after suffering a shock 4-2 defeat to Greek giants Olympiacos on Thursday night. Tasked with earning an aggregate advantage in the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg at Villa Park, it was billed to be a dream night but the Villans were stunned by a disruptive and structured Olympiacos team.

Hat-trick hero Ayoub El Kaabi was the thorn in Villa’s side as the Morocco international netted an impressive hat-trick but disorganisation on the transition, a failing offside trap and a missed Douglas Luiz penalty ultimately cost Unai Emery’s men. Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby scored with excellent finishes to rescue the tie somewhat but Villa now have a Greek mountain to climb with only themselves - and a clinical El Kaabi - to blame.

It could’ve been a contrasting evening had Leon Bailey’s eighth-minute tap-in counted. The Jamaican was in the right place at the right time to finish from a low Ezri Konsa cross after a quick corner but referee Marco Guida spotted an infringement. Clement Lenglet grabbed a handful of an Olympiacos defender’s shirt in the build-up and - albeit a little softly - the goal was disallowed.

Olympiacos took a shock lead in the 16th minute to set what ended up being the tone as El Kaabi beat the offside trap and ruthlessly fired the ball past stand-in Emiliano Martinez replacement Robin Olsen. The flag went up immediately for offside and the decision seemed correct from first instinct but VAR intervened, revealing Matty Cash’s trailing leg played the striker onside.

The visitors netted a dream second on the half-hour mark as El Kaabi burst into the channel once again and rounded Olsen. It was a simple ball lofted through a gap in the Villa back four and the striker finished the job with great composure, nodding beyond the goalkeeper before slotting home for 0-2.

Emery’s men looked dumbfounded and couldn’t assert any control before the break as Olympiacos dictated the play and were confident in their structure. Even when Villa ventured into the attacking third, there was an inevitability about the Olympiacos counter-attack, with a third goal always a possibility.

But, just as Villa Park had reached boiling point, the crowd swapped infuriation for jubilation. Watkins found the net just before the interval to halve the deficit with a composed finish into the far corner. Diaby, picking up the ball between the lines around 30 yards from goal, did excellently to find Watkins in the channel to net beyond Tzokalis.

The scoreline was then levelled just seven minutes after the restart as Diaby scored one of his own. Bailey set the winger away down the right byline and he netted superbly, somehow finding a gap at the near post from a mightily tight angle. The France international, who has had a mixed season, delivered a finish as pure as they come.

But the momentum of the tie changed yet again as Olympiacos were awarded a penalty for a Luiz handball in the 56th minute. It was perhaps a little harsh as the Brazilian’s arm was raised high in the air but the ball struck from point-blank range. Nonetheless, the spot-kick was converted emphatically by El Kaabi as the attacker completed his hat-trick to make it 2-3.

Santiago Hezze made matters even worse for the hosts as the midfielder made it 2-4, deflecting an effort off Konsa and into the back of the net to re-establish the two-goal cushion. Villa stumbled in passing out from the back and Olympiacos took advantage, John McGinn failing with a lacklustre tackle attempt and Hezze striking from range. Olsen, who flapped at the ball, had to do better as he had ample time to react to the ricochet.

Luiz wasted a huge Villa lifeline in the 84th minute as the midfielder, usually deadly from the spot, sensationally missed a penalty to keep the score at 2-4. Substitute attacker Jhon Duran was grounded in the area but Luiz faltered with the resultant effort, flicking the ball off the right post and wide. It was a strange call to award the penalty in the first place as Duran dramatically threw himself to the floor but there were several handballs in the lead-up to retain the decision.

It was all Villa in the closing exchanges but Olympiacos sat in with an effective low block to hold on to their advantage. Emery’s men must now perform a miracle in Athens to achieve their dream of reaching the Europa Conference League final.

Here’s how Birmingham World reporter Charlie Haffenden rated the players out of 10 on a difficult night at Villa Park.