Aston Villa stumble in Europe after Olympiakos defeat

Gerrard's men suffer first-leg setback

Aston Villa's hopes of progressing in the UEFA Conference League suffered a setback on Thursday as they were beaten 4-2 at home by Greek side Olympiakos in the first leg of their playoff tie.

Villa, who had won their previous three European games under Steven Gerrard, took an early lead through Danny Ings, but Olympiakos hit back with four goals in the space of 20 minutes either side of the break.

Gerrard's team rallied late on and reduced the deficit through a Jacob Ramsey strike, but it was Olympiakos who took a healthy advantage into the second leg in Athens next week.

The defeat was Villa's first in Europe this season and it leaves them with an uphill task to overturn the two-goal deficit in the second leg.

Gerrard will be hoping that his team can produce a similar performance to the one they produced in the second half against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, when they came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw.

However, Olympiakos are a dangerous side, as they showed in the first leg, and they will be confident of finishing the job at home next week.

The second leg of the tie will take place on Thursday, August 25th.