Aston Villa hammer Hibernian to take big step in European qualification
England striker Ollie Watkins smashed in a hat-trick before 50 minutes to put the result beyond doubt.
Villa approached the match, playfully dubbed 'the (John) McGinn derby', with a clear plan to blow Hibs away early and relax - relatively speaking - for the second leg.
The Midlands outfit dominated the ball in the first period, boasting a massive 74% share of the possession and registering six shots on goal.
Unfortunately for Hibernian, half of Villa's on-target shots beat veteran goalkeeper David Marshall - two for Watkins and one for Leon Bailey.
The Premier League side didn't rest on their laurels in the second period and continued to push for more goals.
It took Watkins just three minutes after the restart to complete his hat-trick. After this, Villa did take it down a notch and seemingly opted to preserve their energy.
Hibs conceded a penalty in the 74th minute, which was converted by Douglas Luiz to put the match to bed.
Alongside Watkins, it was also an evening to remember for Lucas Digne as the Frenchman totted up a hat-trick of assists at Easter Road.
The second leg of this Europa Conference League qualifier will be played next Thursday, August 31st, at Villa Park.
