Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (L) celebrates after scoring towards Newcastle (Darren Staples)
Ollie Watkins impressed Aston Villa’s 4-1 rout of Newcastle on Saturday, reviving their bid to qualify for the Champions League simply days after they bowed out of this season’s event.
Villa’s Champions League journey got here to an finish on Tuesday after they narrowly failed to finish a spectacular comeback within the quarter-final second leg towards Paris Saint-Germain.
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However Unai Emery’s aspect had no intention of feeling sorry for themselves as they chase a return to Europe’s elite membership competitors subsequent season.
Newcastle arrived at Villa Park after 5 successive wins, solely to be blown away by the impressed Watkins.
He put Villa forward within the first minute and arrange Ian Maatsen to revive the hosts’ benefit after Fabian Schar’s equaliser.
Dan Burn’s personal objective and Amadou Onana’s blistering strike put the seal on Villa’s emphatic victory as they climbed to sixth within the Premier League.
Villa, winners of their final 5 league video games, are simply two factors behind third-placed Newcastle in a gripping battle to safe one of many high 5 positions that assure Champions League qualification.
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With an important journey to fourth-placed Manchester Metropolis looming on Tuesday, Emery’s males sit stage on factors with fifth-placed Nottingham Forest, who go to Tottenham for his or her sport in hand on Monday.
Jason Tindall remained answerable for League Cup winners Newcastle within the absence of Eddie Howe, who was nonetheless absent after affected by pneumonia.
After profitable their first two video games with out Howe, the Magpies got here again all the way down to earth with a bump.
Emery had urged Villa followers to offer a spark of electrical energy with an environment the equal of the PSG tie.
The decibel ranges round Villa Park reached ear-splitting quantity after simply 33 seconds.
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Sandro Tonali’s miscued clearance went straight to Youri Tielemans and his go despatched Watkins by way of for a drive that deflected in off Schar.
– Rampant Villa –
It was Villa’s quickest objective within the league season and Watkins, changed by Marcus Rashford within the beginning line-up towards PSG, was enjoying with some extent to show.
The England striker went near netting once more moments later with a ferocious strike that smacked again off the underside of the crossbar with Newcastle keeper Nick Pope rooted to the spot.
Schar hauled Newcastle stage within the 18th minute, the Swiss worldwide rising on the far publish to satisfy Harvey Barnes’ cross with a header that went by way of the legs of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
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Villa had been unfazed. Watkins met Marco Asensio’s free-kick with a header that thumped towards the publish from 10 yards.
Tonali’s long-range blast pressured Martinez to scramble because the Argentine saved at full stretch.
Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers had acres of area for a thunderous shot that was repelled by Pope.
Youri Tielemans’ glancing header from Asensio’s nook was cleared off the road by Tonali early within the second half.
Villa’s stress was lastly rewarded in eye-catching type within the sixty fourth minute.
Asensio’s sweeping crossfield go and Watkins’ astute ball into the Newcastle space teed up Maatsen, who capped his lung-bursting run with a composed end previous Pope from 12 yards.
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Villa struck once more within the 73rd minute when Jacob Ramsey’s cross in direction of Tielemans was was his personal internet by Burn.
Emery’s males had been rampant. Onana put the seal on their dynamic show two minutes later when he blasted into the highest nook from the sting of the world.
smg/pb
Tue, April 15, 2025 at 10:19 p.m. GMT+2Villa is throughout PSG
