McGinn scores again as Villa continue winning run

John McGinn has now scored eight goals for Aston Villa in Europe

John McGinn scored again as Aston Villa continued their winning run with an entertaining victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League.

Villa began their European campaign last week without a win in six games.

But three goals in three matches from their captain have helped them secure back-to-back wins in the Europa League either side of a first victory in the Premier League.

McGinn slotted home Villa's second in Rotterdam after the ball was nudged into his path when Donyell Malen sprinted into the area but was halted by three Feyenoord players.

Emiliano Buendia opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a curled finish after what had been an end-to-end first half filled with controversial decisions.

Unai Emery's side were aggrieved when Anel Ahmedhodzic brought down Ollie Watkins in the 13th minute with the striker bearing down on goal.

The Swedish defender was shown a yellow card for the challenge and referee Rade Obrenovic was advised to review the incident at the monitor to potentially upgrade to red.

However, the Slovenian official opted to stick with his original decision, despite Ahmedhodzic appearing to deny Watkins a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Villa may also have considered themselves lucky not to be 1-0 down when Ayase Ueda's first-half header clearly crossed the goal line, despite Marco Bizot's efforts to claw it away.

However, the goal was not given because of a foul on Matty Cash in the box.

Victory leaves Villa third in the Europa League table and, with boss Unai Emery a four-time winner of the competition, they will hope this is the beginning of a successful campaign in Europe.

Analysis: Villa starting to shake off early-season struggles

Villa returned to De Kuip - the site of their 1982 European Cup triumph against Bayern Munich - with the chance to further shake off their early-season troubles.

Their flat, lethargic performances before last week's victory over Bologna - their first win of the season - had started to become a cause for concern.

An intriguing first half could have seen either side on top at the break with an energetic Feyenoord registering 13 shots with five on target.

But Buendia's second-half goal sapped some of the energy from the Dutch league leaders and Villa remained patient to find a second and see out a mature win.

There were plenty of indicators that Villa could be returning to the kind of form they have enjoyed under Emery in recent seasons.

Midfielder Buendia had not scored for the club for a year before Sunday's win over Fulham - having spent the previous season recovering from a serious knee injury - but now has two goals in as many matches.

McGinn has now scored three goals in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.

And Emiliano Martinez's late withdrawal because of a calf injury sustained in the warm-up could have spelled trouble for Villa with Bizot drafted in just minutes before kick-off.

But the Dutch goalkeeper was brilliant, tipping over the bar from Luciano Valente and keeping a second consecutive clean sheet having made 15 saves so far this Europa League campaign, the most of any player.

While there remains work for Villa to do, an away win in Europe is another positive step which will further boost their confidence.

What's next for these teams?

Aston Villa host Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday (14:00 BST kick-off) before the international break.

Their next European fixture comes on Thursday, 23 October - another trip to the Netherlands where they will face Go Ahead Eagles.

Meanwhile Feyenoord host Utrecht in the Eredivisie on Sunday (13:30 BST).