Overview

• Aston Villa earned their first win of the season with a 1-0 Europa League result over Bologna, sealed by John McGinn’s early goal at Villa Park.
• Ollie Watkins won a second-half penalty that was saved by Łukasz Skorupski, with Marco Bizot later preserving the lead and Santiago Castro hitting the bar for the visitors.
• Unai Emery publicly backed Watkins to regain belief, saying the forward’s work rate was a step toward goals returning.
• McGinn acknowledged the team’s poor run and accepted criticism, stressing collective responsibility and the need to lift Premier League form.
• Troy Deeney highlighted a change in Watkins’ run-up and a late slowdown on the kick, as McGinn also noted a flat pre-match atmosphere and urged early tackles to engage the crowd.