MONACO (Reuters) – AS Monaco edged out Aston Villa 1-0 at home in the Champions League on Tuesday, thanks to an early goal from Wilfried Singo, to secure the Ligue 1 side their first win of the year.
Monaco snapped a four-game winless run across all competitions to provisionally sit ninth in the 36-team Champions League table with 13 points.
Villa, who were unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, slipped to seventh, also on 13 points with a top-eight finish now in jeopardy.
Monaco took the lead eight minutes in as Singo headed in from close range after Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a fine save to keep out Thilo Kehrer’s initial header from a corner.
The visitors managed to withstand Monaco’s pressure and enjoyed more possession before the break but could not equalise, as Monaco goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki denied efforts from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.
In the second half, Unai Emery sought to spark some life into his attack with the introduction of Jhon Duran, but they could not breach a solid Monaco backline, with shots from Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash going wide.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
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