Lee Johnson insists Hibs won't give up as David Marshall bemoans 'basics' after Aston Villa hiding

Hibs know that they were up against it due to the disparity in finances and class but that didn't stop them rueing their own errors and the way they contributed to their 5-0 European loss to Aston Villa.

Ollie Watkins helped himself to a hat-trick with Leon Bailey and Douglas Luiz, from the penalty spot, also on target as the English Premier League side effectively booked their place in the Europa Conference League group stages ahead of the formality of the return leg at Villa Park next Thursday.

“I think defending crosses is where no team likes to lose goals,” said Hibs goalkeeper David Marshall. “Crosses and set plays are the basics in the game. The goals were tough. But we understand that Villa are a top side.”

It was another night where a light was shone on the gap between the top tier in England and the Scottish Premiership but so much of that is financial, according to Marshall who spent much of his career down south.

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins scores a header to make it 2-0 over Hibs (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group).

“The budget between us and Aston Villa is astronomical. We understand that over the course of two legs they are a far stronger team and squad and should be. The money dictates that gap. We were just disappointed in the 90 minutes tonight that we never really gave our fans anything to shout about or get behind us.

“I thought Aston Villa played really well. Off the ball as well they were really good and limited us to zero chances really. So fair play.”

Overseeing his 500th match as a manager, Hibs gaffer Lee Johnson said next week’s return game would be another opportunity for on-the-job learning which he hopes will benefit his team if they can secure another shot at Europe next season.

“In that sense the pressure is off because it will take a miracle to win the tie. You never give up, because we don't give up.

“It will be interesting to see if we can play with a little bit more football arrogance, and a little bit more belief now that the pressure is off. It's another test in our journey, and it's a big journey.

“It's been a rollercoaster start to the season and it almost feels like we've been a victim of our own success by coming up against a team of this quality, but at the same time this is what we want. This is an experience that we hope to get again next year, in the group stages.

"To do that we have to be on form domestically and fight for those top positions in the table.”