Youri Tielemans came off the bench at half-time and needed only eight minutes to settle a tense Europa League night in Switzerland, his classy first-time finish handing Aston Villa a 1-2 win at Basel and stretching their remarkable winning run to eight matches in all competitions.
Unai Emery made eight changes from the side that had beaten Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend, yet his rotated team still found a way past a Basel side cheered on by Roger Federer in the stands. Evann Guessand had given Villa an early lead before Flavius Daniliuc levelled, only for Tielemans to restore Villa's advantage and consolidate their place in the top eight of the league phase.
Guessand Pounces in Scruffy Circumstances
Despite the wholesale changes, Villa started on the front foot and turned their early possession into a 12th-minute lead. A Villa corner was punched clear by Basel goalkeeper Marwin Hitz, but Xherdan Shaqiri's attempted clearance cannoned off the calf of an unaware Philip Otele and fell to Guessand.