Moreno returns to blast Villa forward in Europe
Alex Moreno came back from a long-term hamstring injury to fire home Aston Villa's winner in a 2-1 victory over Legia Warsaw that sees the Premier League side progress in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
It was the defender's first goal of the season in his first appearance in 2023/2024 and sent Unai Emery's side three points clear of its Polish rival at the top of Group E.
Moussa Diaby got Villa off to the perfect start, opening the scoring opened the scoring in the fourth minute,
But a defensive blunder by Boubacar Kamara saw the visitors draw level on 20 minutes, Ernest Muci curling the ball beautifully inside Robin Olsen's far post after pouncing on a poor pass as Villa tried to play out from the back.
Legia might have gone 2-1 up early in the second half but a looping header from Gil Dias landed on the crossbar before the hosts managed to scramble the ball clear.
In the end it was Villa that took the advantage, Moreno blasting home a sensational volley from Douglas Luiz's pinpoint free-kick into the box.
Leon Bailey came within a whisker of making it 3-1 and sewing up top spot in the group with a game to spare but his lob hit the underside of the bar and failed to cross the goal-line.
Villa, though, will be confident of finishing that job when it takes on Group E's bottom side Zrinjski in the final match of the round in a fortnight's time.
Prior to the match, police were injured after Legia Warsaw fans became violent outside Villa Park.
Missiles were thrown at police as the visiting fans were held in the coach park, and they were ultimately not allowed into the stadium.