Tielemans shows his class and keeps Villa on the march

Roger Federer, an ardent Basel supporter, was up in the stands, in the posh seats to be precise, but even from there he could surely appreciate the grace with which Youri Tielemans clinched victory for Aston Villa.

- Ben Fisher

Unai Emery turned to Tielemans at halftime to lift his side and the midfielder delivered within eight minutes, his classy first-time finish regaining Villa 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 league table amid the fight to advance automatically to the round of 16 in March.

“We know it will be challenging but we also know that any opponent is beatable in Basel,” Xherdan Shaqiri had said on the eve of this fixture and the former Liverpool and Stoke forward knows what he is talking about, returning last year to the club he first joined aged eight.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all departed this stadium emptyhanded 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 both this season. Villa, of course, know all about the power of home form having lost just twice at Villa Park since August 2024.