How Aston Villa beat 10-man Ajax 4-0 to move into Europa Conference League quarter-finals

Unai Emery also spoke to TNT Sports after Villa's win: "We're happy. It was very important. We tried to connect with our supporters. After the first leg we were analysing with the players and we knew before the natch we needed to play better than we did there.

"The match was a bit slow in the first half. When we scored a second goal and they had a red card it was easier for us."

On Ollie Watkins' injury: "We don't know exactly what the (issue) is. Maybe for Sunday he could be available."

On Diego Carlos' injury: "Something with his hamstring. Maybe he might not be available for Sunday."

Now that the quarter-finalists are set in each of the three European competitions, let's see how different countries compare in terms of representatives.

• England: 5 total teams (2 in the UCL, 2 in the UEL, 1 in the UECL)
• Italy: 4 teams (0-3-1)
• Spain: 3 teams (3-0-0)
• Germany: 3 teams (2-1-0)
• France: 3 teams (1-1-1)
• Greece: 2 teams (0-0-2)
• Portugal: 1 team (0-1-0)
• Belgium: 1 team (0-0-1)
• Czech Republic: 1 team (0-0-1)
• Turkey: 1 team (0-0-1)

You'll notice that the Netherlands has no remaining teams.

Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson spoke to TNT Sports after his side was eliminated from Europe: "Tough game. It's hard to stand here and put it into words straight after the game. We've been beaten quite easily in the end which is disappointing.

"I felt we were in the game at the end of the first half. We conceded a second goal which was poor on our behalf and then it's always tough at that point. To go to 10 men, it's very difficult to come back against a good side. Injuries and everything started to go wrong.

"If we'd kept it at 1-0 for longer we could have hurt them but we were well beaten in the end. Villa are a good side.

"I thought (Sivert Mannsverk's sending off) was harsh but I won't make that as an excuse. It was a difficult moment for us. That's football. You have to deal with those things."

Jamaican winger Bailey continued on TNT Sports: "It was difficult for me when I first came because I didn't have a pre-season. I kept trying to come back and getting injured.

"Since the manager (Unai Emery) came in a lot has changed for me. I feel more relaxed and have more energy. It's really paying off. Details, that's why things have been going so great.

"It's an exciting moment for everyone. We should all be proud of where we are. We've worked very hard to be where we are. Enjoy the moment and stay humble and hopefully we can move further."

On Ollie Watkins' injury, he added: "It looked really bad when I saw it. It was an open wound. I didn't want him to come off but Jhon Duran did brilliantly. It was sad to see him come off."

Ajax's poor season gets worse as their last chance for a trophy is eliminated.

They have now conceded 70 goals in all competitions in 2023-24. One more goal allowed will equal the club's worst defensive mark, set back in 1960-61.

The Dutch club have also become the first side to receive five red cards in a single season in major European competition since Juventus did so in 2005-06.

The earlier games in the Europa Conference League finished like this:

• Fenerbahce 0-1 Union Saint-Gilloise (3-1 on aggregate)
• Fiorentina 1-1 Maccabi Haifa (5-4 on aggregate)
• PAOK 5-1 Dinamo Zagreb (5-3 on aggregate)
• Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Servette (3-1 on penalties)

Then, in the 8pm GMT kick-offs, the results were as follows:

• Club Bruges 3-0 Molde (4-2 on aggregate)
• Lille 1-1 Sturm Graz (4-1 on aggregate)
• Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax (4-0 on aggregate)

And in the one game still going, Greek side Olympiacos – who were 4-1 down from the first leg after getting thrashed by Maccabi Haifa at home – have come all the way back to force extra time. And they have now taken the lead in extra time via former Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic! They're 5-1 up on the night, 6-5 on aggregate.

The Athletic's Aston Villa reporter Jacob Tanswell has broken down the club's vital win, looking at:

• Watkins knock leaves Villa sweating
• Emery shuffling his pack
• Duran may be about to get his chance

Check out his instant reaction at the link below!

In the Europa League, the earlier kick-offs finished:

• Slavia Prague 1-3 AC Milan (3-7 on aggregate)
• Rangers 0-1 Benfica (2-3 on aggregate)
• Villarreal 3-1 Marseille (3-5 on aggregate)
• West Ham 5-0 Freiburg (5-1 on aggregate)

And the later matches finished as follows.

• Atalanta 2-1 Sporting Lisbon (3-2 on aggregate)
• Brighton 1-0 Roma (1-4 on aggregate)
• Leverkusen 3-2 Qarabag (5-4 on aggregate)
• Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague (11-2 on aggregate)

John McGinn runs over and passes his captain’s armband to a lad in the crowd.

Jhon Duran collapses to his knees (he’s happy) and Emiliano Martinez gives his gloves away.

Brilliant second half from Unai Emery and Villa. They shifted formation and built the plan around pace, sensing the opportunity. It was fitting that all three goals after the break came from the front three.

A dominant second half, aided by Sivert Mannsverk's sending off, has seen Villa comfortably into the last eight of the Europa Conference League.

It's the club's first time reaching the quarter-finals of a major European competition since they reached the same stage of the 1997-98 UEFA Cup.

No stoppage time needed as the referee blows his whistle and this one is all over!

86' Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax (Villa lead 4-0 on agg.)

Villa are leading 4-0 and are up a man at home just four days after losing 4-0 and down a man to Tottenham at home.

A fifth goal for the hosts would equal their record European win, which is a significant mark for a club that has previously won the European Cup.

83' Aston Villa 4-0 Ajax (Villa lead 4-0 on agg.)

Villa make their fifth and final sub, giving Douglas Luiz a rest as 18-year-old Omari Kellyman comes on for just his third senior appearance of the season.