Ollie Watkins piles on Hibs misery as 5 star Aston Villa run riot in Conference League demolition - 3 talking points

Hibs were taught a harsh Euro lesson by Aston Villa who put five past them at Easter Road.

The Premier League outfit effectively killed off the Europa Conference League play-off tie in 90 minutes. An Ollie Watkins hat-trick, Leon Bailey’s header and a Douglas Luiz penalty ended the Hibees’ slim hopes of progressing to the group stage. And it could have been worse for gaffer Lee Johnson as the English side passed up several other chances to inflict an even heavier defeat.

For 15 minutes, the home side competed with Villa but after Watkins opened the scoring, it was a one-sided affair. The England striker got his second from a Luiz corner before Bailey made it three from a Lucas Digne cross.

Hibs barely threatened Emi Martinez’s goal at the other end as Unai Emery’s side showed their quality. After half-time, Watkins sealed his hat-trick with a ruthless finish from another Digne assist.

And when Lewis Stevenson upended sub Bertrand Traore in the box, Luiz got his side’s fifth from the spot. Villa can now rest most of their players for the second leg in Birmingham next Thursday, while Hibs will be playing for little more than pride.

It’s been Hibs’ achilles heel for a long time now but - while they’ll always pose a threat in attack - they’re defensively weak. And those frailties at the back were brutally exposed by Villa at Easter Road.

The question is, could gaffer Lee Johnson have done more to prevent it with his shape and line-up? He was brave to go with a flat back four against a top Premier League outfit.

Not to mention a two-man central midfield, which included Josh Campbell who likes to get forward. But with hindsight, it looks like a foolish decision and you have to wonder why he didn’t get an extra body in his