Ollie Watkins looked at videos to discover Everton’s defensive frailty that allowed him to score the winning goal in Aston Villa’s 1-0 Premier League win at Goodison Park.
England striker Watkins received a pass from Morgan Rogers and put it past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 51st minute, giving Villa an away win in the league for the first time since their victory over Fulham on October 19.
“He’s a smart player,” Watkins told TNT Sports of midfielder Rogers. “I saw they were open to counterattacks.
“I saw the place, I walked in and Morgan found me. I’d seen some clips before [and saw] They always fall.
“I knew there would be times like this and space in the game; “I just had to be patient and wait for the opportunity.”
Great play from Morgan Rogers finds Ollie Watkins breaking the deadlock for Goodison! 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/k9zCee6Og2
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
Ollie Watkins goals
Watkins has scored two goals and two assists in four games since fellow striker John Doran was sent off in Villa’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on 26 December.
The 29-year-old has featured as a substitute in the previous four league matches, while 21-year-old Duran, who came on as a substitute, has enjoyed a series of starts.
With Duran returning from his three-match ban against Everton, manager Unai Emery had a decision to make and was rewarded with another hard-working display from Watkins.
“I always work hard and run for the team” Villa’s top scorer He said after his ninth goal of 2024/25. “Maybe I’m being a little selfish.
“You have to do anything for the team. You don’t know when the next opportunity will come; you have to keep your mind in the game and maintain that mentality.
“The clean sheet today was very important.”
Unai Emery shares the confidence today’s result will bring and looks to aim higher 🎯
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/2IrV2vteR2
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
Emery: Villa “broke its magic”
Emery admitted Villa needed to “break” their “bad spell” away from home. The Spaniard said: “We had some clear chances in the first half BBC Motd.
“We tried to press and control more in the second but we couldn’t. But we scored. This victory is very important.”
Villa may discover whether they have gone too far in 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).