Aston Villa player ratings vs Hibernian: Ollie Watkins and Lucas Digne shine in 5-0 win
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Unai Emery's side defeat Hibernian at Easter Road in the Europa Conference League
Our dedicated Aston Villa reporter is always on the pulse of all things claret and blue, from major talking points to transfer news to match action, John Townley will bring you the very latest from Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park.
Aston Villa will take a five-goal advantage back to Villa Park next Thursday for the second leg of their Europa Conference League play-off tie with Hibernian after thrashing the Scottish side 5-0 at Easter Road.
Emery opted to make only one change to the team which beat Everton 4-0 last Sunday, and Villa's quality told against Lee Johnson's side as Ollie Watkins bagged a hat-trick. In truth, the tie was over after the first half as Villa ran into a 3-0 lead thanks to two goals from Watkins and one from Leon Bailey.
Lucas Digne recorded three assists on the night and impressed from left-back after also catching the eye in the clash against Everton last weekend. The France international supplied his first assist on the 17th minute, as Watkins directed his cross into the far corner to break the deadlock.
LIVE: Hibernian 0-5 Aston Villa highlights and reaction from Easter Road
After a frantic 16 minutes, Villa settled things down by doubling their lead when Watkins bagged his second. Douglas Luiz whipped in a corner from the left, before Diego Carlos flicked on towards the back post, where Watkins was waiting to head in.
Then, minutes before half-time, Bailey added a third for Villa by heading in from Digne's accurate cross from the left byline. Emery opted to replace Emi Martinez at half-time, and brought Robin Olsen on for his first appearance of the season.
The Swede was called into action early on in the second half as Hibs looked to make a bright start after the break. But soon after their first effort on goal of the match, Digne set-up Watkins for his hat-trick. The goal was given after a long VAR review.
After a flurry of changes late in the second half, Bertrand Traore won a penalty before Luiz bagged his penalty in successive games.
Player ratings
Emi Martinez
Wasn't troubled in the first half. Came off at half-time. 7
Ezri Konsa
Played at right-back today and was very comfortable in and out of possession. 7
Diego Carlos
Replaced Matty Cash in the starting line-up as the Brazilian made his first start in 12 months after his serious Achilles injury. He had to deal with a few balls over the top, and didn't look out of place in a back three when Villa had the ball. 7
Pau Torres
He was excellent on the ball when facing goal, but on a few occasions he let go of possession cheaply instead of choosing the simple option. 7
Lucas Digne
Another very impressive display from Digne again. He notched three assists! Surely Villa can't afford to let him leave on loan when he's playing at this level. 9*
Boubacar Kamara
Won most of his duels in the middle of the park. Hardly broke a sweat. 7
Douglas Luiz
Kept it ticking over in the middle of the park for Villa. Scored a penalty in consecutive games to add Villa's fifth. 8
John McGinn
Couldn't mark his return to Easter Road with a goal, but performed very well tonight. 8
Leon Bailey
Impressed again this evening. He needed two strong performances after a lacklustre showing at Newcastle on the opening weekend of the season. 8
Moussa Diaby
Looked sharp at the top of the pitch and linked play well with Watkins. 7
Ollie Watkins
Bagged a brace in the first-half and added his third after half-time. Too good for the Hibs defenders. He'll be pleased to get off the mark this season. 9
SUBS
Olsen (for Martinez, 45): Made a good save inside the first five minutes of the second period. Wasn't tested after then. 7
Youri Tielemans (for Kamara, 65): Might have been disappointed not to have started this one. 6
Jhon Duran (for Watkins, 69): Was desperate to get in on the act but no chances fell his way. 6
Bertrand Traore (for Leon Bailey, 69): Won Villa's penalty in the second half. Looked bright. 7
Matty Cash (for Konsa, 75): N/A
Subs not used: Marschall, Chambers, Revan, Feeney
GOALS
Hibernian: N/A
Aston Villa: Watkins (17, 42, 51), Bailey (33), Luiz (74)