Aston Villa boss Unai Emery was delighted by the way Ollie Watkins channelled his anger at his bit-part role against Paris St Germain with a man-of-the-match display in the 4-1 thrashing of fellow Champions League contenders Newcastle.
The long-serving 29-year-old started both legs of the quarter-final clash with the French champions on the bench, making late substitute appearances in the 3-1 loss in Paris and Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Villa Park.
Watkins returned to the starting line-up in Saturday’s key encounter with Newcastle and opened the scoring inside 33 seconds, before teeing up Ian Maatsen to put Villa back ahead after Fabian Schar levelled.
Dan Burn’s own goal and a stunning Amadou Onana effort completed a statement 4-1 win, with star man Watkins using anger at being benched against PSG as fuel.
A goal and an assist in a massive win 👊
Ollie Watkins is your Player of the Match from #AVLNEW 🤩@adidas || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/yzzatDcpMO
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 19, 2025
“Look, Champions League we’ve put in a lot of hard graft the last few years to get to that position and obviously I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games,” the England international told Sky Sports.
“I’m not going to lie I was fuming I weren’t playing and I let him know that, but, look, he’s the manager at the end of the day and you’ve got to respect his decisions. But I’m not one of these players that’s happy to sit on the bench.”
Watkins’ comments were put to boss Emery after Saturday’s mightily impressive triumph.
“It’s fantastic,” the Villa manager said. “It’s fantastic to be angry, it’s fantastic to play like he played today.
“It’s fantastic to be available every match in the better moment, like I think today he showed. This is the competitive way I want.
“With Watkins, it was a very good conversation. And, of course, when he is responding like today I’m so, so happy for him, for the team, for our objective, how we are getting through them and through their demand as well.
Premier League clubs haven’t been hanging around 😅
That''s now 10 goals scored inside the first minute of matches this season, equalling a record set in 2022/23! pic.twitter.com/xSRL6NvVNB
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 19, 2025
“It’s really fantastic, but every player for me is the same. I’m trying to support and to help them.”
Sixth-placed Villa head to Manchester City on Tuesday having cut the gap to Newcastle in third to two points as Jason Tindall tasted defeat for the first time as Eddie Howe’s stand-in.
It was a galling end to the Magpies’ six-match winning run in all competitions and a result that led the assistant to concede sticking with the same side for a seventh straight game was perhaps too much.
“It was obviously a difficult evening,” Tindall said. “I felt on reflection over 90 minutes Aston Villa deserved to win the game.
“First half I felt we’d done alright off the back of the early setback of conceding so early. The lads showed great character to get themselves back into the game.
Reflect, reset and go again. 💪
Thank you for your tremendous backing at Villa Park today.
Safe journey home 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/uYXgbLaMzQ
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 19, 2025
“Then maybe sort of looking at the second half, maybe it was just one step too far. Three games in six days maybe caught up with us, certainly around the hour mark.”
Tindall said he had not spoken to Howe, who is recovering from pneumonia, immediately after Newcastle’s first league loss since February and is unsure whether he will still be leading the side at home to Ipswich next weekend.
“Until I’m told otherwise then obviously that’s my duty and what I have to do,” the stand-in boss said.
“As I’ve said, obviously the most important thing for Ed is that he rests and recovers. I think the more he does that, then the sooner he’ll be able to kind of lead the team again.”
Aston Villa put their Champions League disappointment behind them with an emphatic 4-1 win against in-form Newcastle as Unai Emery’s men continued their bid to return to European football’s top table in style.Four days on from falling agonisingly short in a pulsating quarter-final clash with Paris St Germain, Villa Park rocked once again as the third-placed Magpies saw their six-match ...
Graham Potter blasted his players for their inability to control games and admitted he faces some big decisions this summer after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by rock-bottom Southampton.Relegated Saints were still on course to be crowned the worst team in Premier League history after Jarrod Bowen fired the hosts into the lead just after half-time.But Southampton were not even the worst tea...
Andoni Iraola insisted record-breaking Bournemouth “cannot be happy with this point” after their European football ambitions were dented by a goalless draw at 10-man Crystal Palace.The hosts clung on after Chris Richards was controversially sent off with a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time of a contest which never found a flow, and saw referee Sam Barrott dole out nine cau...
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes their 2-0 win over Everton in their final visit to Goodison Park was hugely significant in the quest to secure a 15th successive season of Champions League football.The game was meandering towards a draw, which would have opened the door for sixth-placed Chelsea, until Nico O’Reilly (84) and Mateo Kovacic, in added time, scored to open up a four...
Annan kept their Scottish League One survival hopes alive with a stunning 5-1 win over champions Arbroath at Galabank.Arbroath – who had secured promotion last weekend – took a 17th-minute lead through Billy King.Paul Smith equalised from a corner in the 31st minute, with Tommy Muir then knocking in the rebound after Willie Gibson’s penalty was saved nine minutes later.Muir exten...
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace kept alive Brentford’s outside hopes of qualifying for Europe as 10-man Brighton were beaten 4-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium.A first home Premier League win in four months meant a top-eight finish is within the reach of Thomas Frank’s side and the steely self-assurance with which they saw off another European hopeful would suggest they can carry the fight ...
Manchester City’s bid for a 15th successive season of Champions League football was bolstered by two late goals in a 2-0 win at Everton they barely deserved.The game was meandering towards a draw, which would have made them vulnerable to Chelsea who play rivals Nottingham Forest on Monday, when 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly stabbed home in the 84th minute.Substitute Mateo Kovacic doubled t...
Bournemouth brought up a club record Premier League points tally but would have wanted more after playing out a goalless draw at 10-man Crystal Palace.The contest rarely found a flow and by the time it concluded referee Sam Barrott had issued nine yellow cards.Two of those were to Palace defender Chris Richards, who was controversially dismissed late in the first half.The result took the Cherries ...
Lesley Ugochukwu’s added-time strike ensured Southampton equalled Derby’s record-low Premier League points total with a 1-1 draw at West Ham.Relegated Saints were still on course to be crowned the worst team in Premier League history after Jarrod Bowen fired the hosts into the lead.But they were not even the worst team at the London Stadium for long periods of a dreadful game.And they ...
Dramatic late goals from Raith Rovers kept the Scottish Championship title race alive as they came from behind to beat 10-man Falkirk 3-1.Falkirk looked like moving six points clear of Livingston with two games left to play when Calvin Miller fired them in front after 17 minutes.But they failed to add to that advantage before being reduced to 10 men just after the hour when Sean Mackie was shown a...
- 1 Four Tottenham stars could leave this summer
- 2 PL side eyeing summer move for Rashford
- 3 Man City in pole position to secure Morgan Gibbs
- 4 Pop icon with £580M net worth makes appearance at Stamford Bridge
- 5 David Gray hails ‘incredible achievement’ as Hibernian match club record run
- 6 Enzo Maresca: It’s up to Chelsea fans to decide if they want to back team
- 7 Vitor Pereira reveals lofty ambitions for Wolves after victory over Tottenham
- 8 Big Brother legend Chanelle Hayes flaunts weight loss in red bikini
- 9 Arteta makes exciting Arsenal transfer claim
- 10 Cole Palmer’s girlfriend Connie Grace dazzles in low-cut top and mini skirt