Hibernian 0-5 Aston Villa: Easter road side fail to bridge financial chasm
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Highlights: Hibernian 0-5 Aston Villa
"Gulf as big as ever and likely to widen."
We all know the chasm in resource. We all know the limitations of Scottish sides on glamour occasions like this as a result.
And that was clear for all to see on a summer's night in Leith as the sun shone on Aston Villa.
Hibernian's fate was sealed by half-time against a Premier League side oozing quality and threat. In the end, the full-time whistle was one almighty relief as the scoreboard clocked 5-0.
There was no slacking off here for Unai Emery's charges. His intent was clear with his starting line up very strong, and it's clear he has sights on adding to an incredible CV of European success.
"We didn't let them play how they usually play," the four-time Europa League winning manager told BBC Scotland.
"The end result - five goals - is maybe not deserved, but we deserved to win, and our respect of them is playing how we played.
"Everything we did was with respect."
Alongside that respect was a ruthlessness. What was alarming for the Scottish side was the simplicity of it all, and the obvious realisation that Villa, had they wished, had much more quality to offer than they actually did, as impressive as they were.
That doesn't bode well for the return leg next week.
Albeit, Emery might rest some starters with this tie surely done and dusted. In contrast, one or two with a point to prove might see it as the perfect opportunity to impress.
Some people do believe in miracles, but any other outcome than Villa progressing in this Europa Conference League qualifier would top the lot. The question is how on earth Hibernian approach this now?
Easter Road was raucous before kick-off with home fans clamouring noisily to their seats. They knew the gulf but hoped, somehow, Hibs could trouble a side clearly on the up under a manager with serious credentials.
What will frustrate manager Lee Johnson though is the level of defending that proved so costly and derailed any chance of that. At the other end, they carry threat but didn't effectively utilise it.
'That's the most nervous I've been for long time'
"First of all, I was proud of the football club for getting to this point. I was disappointed with the score line," Johnson told BBC Scotland.
"I felt the shape was okay in the first half, but in terms of moments in our control we weren't good enough.
"The gulf in quality showed after that period in the first 20 minutes.
"There's huge differences between the budgets and we're doing well to compete at this level. Today is a big lesson for us."
It certainly is a harsh one. Despite the obvious obstacles to surmount, Hibernian had to be better in key moments but wilted, something that has been consistent in an inconsistent start to the season.
David Marshall has experienced top-flight English and international football and is thus perfectly positioned to assess the magnitude of the gap in quality.
"The budget between us and Aston Villa is astronomical. We understand over the course of two legs they have a far stronger squad.
"We all felt we could have done a lot better and pushed it a lot closer.
"We understand that Villa are a top side. We did struggle. We never game the fans anything to get behind us with. They were very clinical," he said.
"In terms of performance we know we were miles off, especially in the first half. We know they are a better team than us, but we can be better."
Knowing that will make the hurt even greater. It was a chastening experience.
"It's a difficult night for the Hibs supporters," said Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart. "As much as the expectation was that it was a mammoth task for Hibs, but as supporters, you always want to have that little bit of belief.
It's the same for the players. They would have been hoping that something incredible could have happened tonight, and it very quickly became apparent that it wasn't."
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