Ollie Watkins looked at videos to spot the Everton defensive weakness that allowed him to score the winner in Aston Villa’s 1-0 Premier League win at Goodison Park.
England forward Watkins collected Morgan Rogers’ pass and slotted past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 51st minute as Villa won away in the league for the first time since beating Fulham on October 19.
“He’s a clever player,” Watkins told TNT Sports of midfielder Rogers. “I saw they were wide open on the counter-attack.
“I saw the space, ran into it and Morgan found me. I looked at some clips before [and saw] that they always drop.
“I knew there were going to be times like that and space in the game; I just had to be patient and wait for the opportunity.”
A lovely play from Morgan Rogers finds Ollie Watkins to break the deadlock at Goodison! 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/k9zCee6Og2
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
Ollie Watkins goals
Watkins has two goals and two assists in four games since fellow forward Jhon Duran was sent off in Villa’s 3-0 defeat at Newcastle on December 26.
The 29-year-old had come off the bench in the previous four league games, with 21-year-old Duran, who had a prolific run as a substitute, enjoying a series of starts.
With Duran returning from his three-game suspension against Everton, manager Unai Emery had a decision to make and was rewarded with another industrious display from Watkins.
“I always work hard and run around for the team,” Villa’s top scorer said after his ninth goal of 2024/25. “Maybe I’m a bit too unselfish.
“You’ve got to do whatever for the team. You don’t know when the next chance is going to come; you’ve got to keep your mind in the game and keep that mindset.”
“The clean sheet today was very important.”
Unai Emery shares the confidence that today’s result will bring and a look ahead to higher targets 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/2IrV2vteR2
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
Emery: Villa ‘broke spell’
Emery acknowledged Villa’s need to “break” their “bad spell” away from home. “We had some clear chances in the first half,” the Spaniard told BBC MOTD.
“We tried to push and take even more control in the second but we couldn’t. But we scored. This victory is very important.”
Villa may find out whether they have turned a corner on their travels when they visit Arsenal on Saturday (5.30pm), where they won 2-0 in April. They then head to Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday (5.45pm).