John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 8s and 7s awarded after 2

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Aston Villa made it three wins from four in the Europa League league phase after beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 at Villa Park.

Ian Maatsen opened the scoring for Villa late in the first half, capping off a first period that had lacked intensity and quality, before Donyell Malen bagged a penalty before the hour mark.

Jadon Sancho created the game’s first notable chance in the 19th minute, skipping past a Maccabi player before laying the ball into Malen’s path. The Dutch forward took the ball in his stride and worked an angle to shoot inside the box, but his effort was blocked and trickled wide.

Shortly after, Sancho inadvertently helped set up Maccabi’s first opportunity, as a misplaced pass allowed the visitors to counter from a dangerous position. Dor Peretz slipped