Aston Villa recorded an impressive 2-0 win against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, denting the Gunners’ title hopes as one of Unai Emery’s stars was praised for his role in a key moment.
After watching what Crystal Palace did to Liverpool, Aston Villa felt it was necessary to put another spanner in the works of the title race by beating Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates.
It was an afternoon to remember for Unai Emery on returning to his former home, becoming the first side in the Premier League to beat Arsenal in 2024.
Second-half goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins sealed the Gunners’ fate, seeing Villa fire themselves back into the top four, and the title race steered in Manchester City’s favour.
While it was an impressive day all around for the Villans, who had to be patient to earn their chance to impose themselves, one key moment stood out as the most memorable.
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What Ollie Watkins did to earn high praise during Aston Villa’s win over Arsenal
Scoring his 19th goal of the Premier League season, Watkins not only capped off Villa’s win but equalled the club’s record-scoring tally in the competition.
The Englishman’s impressive finish saw him draw level with Christian Benteke on 19 league goals in a campaign, with his moment of late magic leaving one journalist in awe.
Taking to Twitter X during the game, journalist Matt Maher dubbed Watkins as “ludicrous”, also commending Youri Tielemans’ superb ball to create the goal.
“Tielemans sends Watkins away. The finish is ludicrous. 2-0 Villa.”
The 28-year-old was sent through on goal and chipped the ball expertly beyond the reach of David Raya to silence the Emirates and send the away end into pandemonium.
Ollie Watkins earned his goal against Arsenal
Like his teammates, Watkins had to be incredibly patient to get the opportunity to score against Arsenal, as the first half was all but dominated by the hosts.
The England international had the chance to score before the interval, however, was denied agonisingly by the post.
In an extremely composed performance, the £130k-a-week Villa ace found himself dropping into deeper areas to generate attacking sequences, seeing his hard work pay off in the 87th minute to seal the win for the visitors.
The goal now means that Watkins requires just one goal from the Villans’ remaining five games to break the club record in the Premier League, as well as to become the first Villa player to reach the 20-goal milestone.
It was a memorable day for Aston Villa, their manager and of course, Watkins, who has written himself into club history with his record-equalling goal against the Gunners.
The post ‘Ludicrous’: Journalist left blown away by what £130k-a-week Aston Villa star just did v Arsenal appeared first on Aston Villa News.