Watkins scores twice as Villans hold on for crucial win in race for Champions League
THERE is no better striker suited to Unai Emery than Ollie Watkins who fired Aston Villa back into the top four with a lethal double.
The England striker hit his 17th and 18th goals of the season, meaning he has already bettered his best goal tally for the club – and it’s only February.
It’s no secret that Villa had not started 2024 in the way the club would have wanted.
But it seems when Watkins is back firing, so are Villa, given the forward had only hit two goals in ten matches as the club had slipped into fifth before yesterday.
The win was by the skin of Villa’s teeth though as Rodrigo Muniz hit his fifth goal in three games for Fulham with a cheeky 64th minute strike.
It came after Watkins’ 23rd minute opener before he was on target again on 56 minutes.
Villa fired an early warning shot as Youri Tielemans threaded a pinpoint pass beyond Tim Ream to Watkins who slotted home through Bernd Leno’s legs just two minutes in.
Fulham thanked their lucky stars when the flag went up for offside.
Referee Lewis Smith, 30, on his Premier League debut made the right call in waving away furious penalty shouts after Bobby De Cordova-Reid went down in the box after being lightly shoved by Pau Torres.
36-year-old defender Ream nearly broke the deadlock after shimmying in front of goal to gobble up a Tom Cairney free-kick and slot home – but the flag went up and VAR concurred.
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Of course it was lethal striker Watkins that would actually make one count.
A kamikaze throw in by Antonee Robinson put Willian under pressure outside the box.
Jacob Ramsey pounced on the ball and teed up Watkins who spun before unleashing a low drive into the far corner for his sixth goal in his last seven games in the capital.
Villa were in the driving seat and Leon Bailey cracked a menacing strike off the crossbar.
There was another offside goal as Watkins flicked on to Alex Moreno who headed home just before the break, but the flag went up.
A lengthy VAR check judged Moreno to be ahead of Ream by a whisker.
At the other end Muniz had Emi Martinez scrambling with a header which bounced wide off the far post after rising highest to meet Andreas Pereira’s corner.
Leno then made a sublime save with an outstretched foot on a Tielemans close-range strike after Watkins poached the ball off Joao Palhinha.
Villa emerged from the restart with the same swagger and it didn’t take long for Watkins to do what he does best.
It all began with Tielemens playing a cute through ball to the striker who moved gracefully before lashing the ball beyond Leno on 56 minutes.
The party started in the away end and Villa fans lobbed a claret flare on the pitch which Watkins dealt with.
Out of nowhere Muniz shut them up by clawing one back.
Robinson charged down the left flank and whipped a peach of a cross into the box before Muniz nipped in and fired home at the near post.
He put his hand to his ear in celebration as the silence from the boisterous away end was deafening.
Fulham were creeping back into things and nearly made it 2-2 with a late flurry.
Martinez made a blinding save to keep out Iwobi’s shot at the near post following a blistering counter attack before Wilson fired the rebound wide.
Martinez made another corker of a save, this time with his inner thigh as Adama Traore darted towards him.
Traore was lucky to still be on the pitch after getting in John McGinn’s face and throwing the ball at the Villa skipper after getting booked.
Livid Fulham fans grumbled over the referee at the final whistle and Marco Silva was fuming at just five minutes of injury time – but it seems they only had a lacklustre first-half to blame.
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