Villa and Palace storm to routine victories as they continue their European quests

Aston Villa have reached the 1/4 finals of the UEFA Champions League last season, and Unai Emery's side is doing a serious job in reaching even higher altitudes in the current UEFA Europa League campaign.

The Villans are doing well in the second-best European competition, sitting in sixth place after a convincing 2-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night. It didn't start that smoothly for Villa, though, but a couple of Emiliano Martinez's saves provided them with enough air to bounce back, and struck late - Ian Maatsen pounced on Rogers' ball and netted from a highly challenging position to break the deadlock seconds before the half-time break, 1-0.

When Donyell Mallen added another from the spot in the second half, there was no longer any doubt that the points would stay in Birmingham. Moreover, Maccabi's keeper stepped up to prevent a humiliating loss with a handful of saves, along with one goal-line clearance by his defender.

At the same time, Crystal Palace also celebrated a critical 3-1 victory - their first in the Conference League on home soil - over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. It definitely underlined their credentials as one of the top candidates for the title.

Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr played a crucial role with his brace, pushing the Eagles to a deserved win. The 27-year-old forward was taken down for a penalty, which Mateta missed, but the former made sure the EPL side got in front just before the half-time. He added his second and Palace's third thanks to Mateta's assist in the second half. Sarr has four goals in his past three appearances and is already close to matching his tally from last season - 12 goals across all competitions.