Overview

• Aston Villa beat Bologna 1-0 at Villa Park to open their Europa League group, securing their first victory of the season.
• Captain John McGinn scored early from outside the box, delivering Villa’s first home goal of the campaign.
• Ollie Watkins came off the bench, won a penalty and saw his effort saved, extending his goalless run to start the season.
• Goalkeeper Marco Bizot produced key late interventions, including stopping a Martin Vitik header after Santiago Castro had struck the bar.
• Emery urged his side to build consistency ahead of Fulham after a Premier League start of three points and one goal in five games, with the win coming days after reports of sporting director Monchi’s resignation.