Aston Villa manager Unai Emery praised Ollie Watkins for his clinical and outstanding performance as the Villa striker netted twice against Fulham, propelling his team back into the Premier League’s top four.
In the 23rd minute, Jacob Ramsey seized the ball from Willian following a poor throw-in by Antonee Robinson and provided the assist for Watkins, who calmly slotted Villa into the lead. Watkins extended Villa’s advantage shortly after the restart, skillfully finishing Youri Tielemans’ through-ball.
Despite Fulham capitalizing on a defensive mix-up between Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and defender Clement Lenglet, pulling one back through Rodrigo Muniz, Martinez showcased his prowess with two crucial saves in injury time to secure victory for Emery’s side. With Tottenham suffering a 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Saturday, Villa now occupies fourth place in the table.
“He [Watkins] worked for it,” Emery told BBC Match of the Day. “It was a very tough match for him as well and he was fighting with [Fulham defender] Issa Diop.
“He was clinical today and really amazing.”
Watkins stars as Villa produce ‘massive reaction’
Watkins delivered an outstanding performance at Craven Cottage, further solidifying his impressive tally of 18 goals across all competitions this season. His remarkable statistics speak volumes about his contributions on the pitch.
With 23 goal involvements in the top flight this season (13 goals and 10 assists in 25 games), Watkins trails only behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who has 24.
Moreover, in terms of goal involvements for Villa, only Dwight Yorke (27 in 1995-96) has recorded more in a single Premier League campaign.
This latest display marks the end of a relatively dry spell for Watkins, who had managed just two goals in 10 matches before Saturday’s game. This drought followed a string of missed opportunities in Villa’s narrow defeat to Manchester United in their previous outing.
“Personally I’m not dwelling on that and as a team we’re not,” Watkins told BBC Match of the Day.
“It’s nice to get back on the scoresheet. It was a massive reaction to come here and win today.”
Two points clear as form begins to turn
It’s evident that Aston Villa’s beginning to 2024 hasn’t gone according to plan for the club.
Following their missed opportunity to claim the top spot in the Premier League on Boxing Day, Villa has suffered four defeats in their last 10 matches across all competitions, resulting in a slip down to fifth place in the league table.
The visiting team showed promise early on, with Tielemans, deputizing for the injured Boubacar Kamara, setting up Watkins, only to see his goal disallowed for offside within the first two minutes.
Following the forward’s disallowed goal, Leon Bailey rattled the crossbar with a curling effort, while Tielemans was thwarted by Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno when presented with a clear chance on goal.
Alex Moreno also had a first-half header disallowed for a narrow offside, mistiming his run slightly to meet Watkins’ flick-on.
“It’s a very important win,” Emery added to BBC Match of the Day. “We are trying to push and be successful. Today was a match to show it, and they showed it.”
Villa, now two points clear of Tottenham in fifth, face Nottingham Forest at home in their next match next Saturday.
Muniz impresses but ‘sloppy’ Fulham fall just short
Fulham were the creators of their own downfall at Craven Cottage, with manager Marco Silva admitting his side were far “too sloppy” in periods.
Robinson’s loose throw-in set up Villa’s first, and poor defending enabled their second.
“We were punished by the mistakes we made,” Silva told BBC Match of the Day.
“We cannot concede goals the way we did it. We were too sloppy, we were too open in those moments.”
Just moments before the first goal, Tim Ream saw his effort disallowed for offside as he rounded the goalkeeper following Joao Palhinha’s flick-on.
Muniz, registering his fourth goal in three games, posed a constant threat from crosses into the box. He reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute after Martinez and Lenglet hesitated following a low delivery from Robinson.
Boosted by Muniz’s goal, Fulham intensified their efforts for an equalizer. Harry Wilson volleyed wide, and Alex Iwobi, returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty, saw his shot saved by Martinez’s feet.
Martinez redeemed himself for his earlier error by swiftly racing off his line to deny former Villa forward Adama Traore in injury time.
As Fulham prepare to face Manchester United in their next fixture, they will have to do without Palhinha, who is set to serve a two-match suspension after receiving his 10th yellow card of the season.