Aston Villa edged out Basel in a closely contested Europa League match, securing a 2-1 victory and keeping pace with the group leaders. Meanwhile, Roma delivered a dominant performance against Celtic, winning 3-0, and Lyon continued their strong run in the competition.

Aston Villa's match against Basel saw Evann Guessand opening the scoring for the Villains in Switzerland. However, Basel responded when Flavius Daniliuc headed in Xherdan Shaqiri's free-kick. Youri Tielemans secured the win for Villa with a well-placed shot from just outside the box in the second half. With this victory, Aston Villa has won their eighth successive match and their fifth in six Europa League group stage games this season.

"I am happy and we knew before the match the difficulties we were facing today," Villa manager Unai Emery told TNT Sports. "After the last matches, a lot of wars. Brilliant wars for us, after our victory against Arsenal, it is not easy to recover". Emery acknowledged the challenges his team faced, especially after their recent win against Arsenal. He also added, "The last 10 minutes they were close to drawing but I am happy with how we got this victory. It is difficult to beat them here".

Villa now sit on 15 points in the Europa League standings, ensuring them at least a play-off spot. They are currently trailing Lyon and Midtjylland only on goal difference. "Where we are now is very good. We have two more games. Two tough games. We just want to win both games and see where we are at," said Tielemans. "The first two spots would be amazing, but then if not, in the top group and hopefully qualify".

In Glasgow, Celtic suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Roma. Liam Scales' own goal gave Roma an early lead in the sixth minute, and Evan Ferguson's brace in the first half sealed the victory for the Italian side.

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest boosted their chances of qualifying directly for the last 16 with a 2-1 away win against Utrecht. Arnaud Kalimuendo scored shortly after the break, and Igor Jesus slotted home the winner two minutes from time. "I'm very pleased with the players and the result, and long may it continue. I'm pleased for everyone concerned," said Forest manager Sean Dyche. This victory marked Forest's first away win in Europe since 1995, placing them just two points away from the top eight.

Lyon are also in a strong position in the Europa League and are tied with Aston Villa and Midtjylland atop the standings.