Ollie Watkins ‘outrageous’ as Aston Villa stuns pundit in Southampton clash
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins left one pundit stunned with his “phenomenal” impact against Southampton at St Mary’s.
Unai Emery‘s side went into that clash with the already-relegated Saints on Saturday (12 April) looking to bounce back from their Champions League first leg defeat to PSG in midweek.
However, it would be a frustrating start to the game for the visitors, as they struggled to find a breakthrough against a Southampton side playing their first game since sacking Ivan Juric.
Watkins would be the man to turn the game in the favour of Aston Villa, making quite an impression on Stephen Warnock in the process.
Ollie Watkins produces stunning finish to open the scoring
With Watkins once again starting on the bench for his side, the striker was brought off the bench with 66 minutes on the clock with the game still locked at 0-0.
Just moments after his introduction, the striker won a penalty for Aston Villa, only for Aaron Ramsdale to save the spot kick from Marco Asensio.
Despite that setback, Watkins would not be denied, as just three minutes later he would finally break the deadlock for the Midlands club.
| Ollie Watkins vs Southampton | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Goals | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 1 |
| Shots off Target | 0 |
| Expected Goals | 0.28 |
| Successful Passes | 6/7 |
| Duels Won | 3/3 |
| Penalties Won | 1 |
As Youri Tielemans produced a pinpoint long ball over the top into the Southampton area, the England international produced an excellent flicked finish past Ramsdale and in off the bar to put his side in front.
It was a moment that left Warnock in awe. Speaking about Watkins’ goal on the BBC‘s Final Score show, the former Aston Villa left-back said: “This finish from Ollie Watkins is outrageous.
“The ball from Youri Tielemans splits the defenders and Watkins gets there ahead of Aaron Ramsdale and with the outside of his foot pokes it over his head. Phenomenal.”
Aston Villa face big selection call ahead of PSG
Football Insider Verdict
Aston Villa would eventually go onto claim a 3-0 win over Southampton to move into the fifth and final Champions League qualification place in the Premier League table.
Fellow substitutes Donyell Malen and John McGinn would also get on the scoresheet for Emery’s side, giving him a decision to make for that second leg against PSG on Tuesday (15 April).
Having made such an impact here, a number of substitutes are now pushing for starts, meaning the Spaniard may have to decide whether or not to drop some other key men.
From a personal perspective, Watkins has endured some difficult performances for Aston Villa in recent weeks.
So to make as much of a difference as this will be a major confidence boost for the England international, and there is no denying he did extremely well to reach and direct the ball for his ball.
With that in mind, it could certainly be tempting for Emery to bring Watkins back into the starting XI, especially considering Marco Asensio is unlikely to be in as good a place after missing two penalties here.