Maatsen and Malen help Villa in a win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.

By Peter Smith, SkySports Senior Football Journalist.

@AVFCOfficial.

Aston Villa beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in the Europa League on a night of protests, arrests and a substantial police presence at Villa Park.

West Midlands Police made six arrests as pro-Palestine protests and smaller counter protests took place outside the ground, where over 700 police had been deployed, following the controversial move to ban fans of the Israeli side amid safety fears.

But on the pitch, Villa delivered the result they had been hoping for – despite a slow start. They are up to sixth place in the Europa League standings, well placed at the halfway point of the league phase to qualify for the knockouts.

Villa had been lacklustre for the majority of the first half and should have gone behind to their winless opponents when Dor Peretz was teed up in the box but shot at the stricken Emi Martinez rather than into the gaping goal.

Morgan Rogers had been the one most willing to inject some impetus into his side’s play and it was no surprise he was heavily involved when Villa struck just before half-time, exchanging passes with Jadon Sancho and then finding Ian Maatsen to convert from the tightest of angles.

On the third anniversary of Unai Emery becoming Villa boss, this was a move more befitting of the side he has built than the ponderous play that had gone before.

In the second half, again, Peretz was denied by Martinez before a Villa goal, with stand-in captain Ezri Konsa eventually tumbling after a collision with Elad Madmon and Donyell Malen arrowing the penalty into the bottom corner.

With the mood lifted, Villa fans also celebrated the return to action of Youri Tielemans, who immediately showed off his brilliant passing range to set up a chance for Malen to score his second but goalkeeper Roei Mishpati saved sharply.

An offside flag would have ruled out a late Ollie Watkins deflection which was cleared off the line by Issouf Sissokho but Villa finished on the front foot and with some positivity on what proved to be a tricky night on and off the pitch.

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