Ollie Watkins mesmerises in Aston Villa v Newcastle, Agbonlahor ‘unhappy’
Aston Villa thumped Newcastle United 4-1 in the Premier League on Saturday, with Ollie Watkins arguably the man of the match.
Villa Park hosted Eddie Howe’s team on 19 April, and won crucial three points in the race for a top-five finish in the English top flight.
Watkins opened the scoring for the hosts around 30 seconds into the game, but Fabian Schar equalised for the visitors, with the tie 1-1 going into the break.
Ian Maatsen restored the Villans’ lead in the second half, before Dan Burn’s own goal and Amadou Onana’s strike secured the win.
Aston Villa get the best of Watkins v Newcastle
Watkins was at his best for the Villans as he scored one goal and provided one assist for Unai Emery’s team.
The 29-year-old striker attempted five shots during his 82 minutes on the pitch, with one on target and two hitting the woodwork.
| Competition (2024/25) | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 33 | 15 | 7 |
While the England international didn’t get the ball much, he completed 82 per cent of his passes, creating two chances in the process, with a combined xG and xA of 0.58 and nine touches in the opposition box, as per FotMob.
Watkins also contributed defensively for the Lions, winning five duels and also winning one foul for the hosts.
Gabby Agbonlahor unhappy as Watkins closes in on record
Watkins lost his place in the starting lineup at Villa Park in recent matches, which would have arguably been frustrating for him.
Emery relied on Marcus Rashford against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Villa Park.
The former Brentford striker found his place in the team in a crunch fixture against Newcastle as Jason Tindall replaced Howe in the dugout.
Watkins’ return was influential, equaling Gabby Agbonlahor’s record of 74 Premier League goals for Aston Villa.
The ex-Villan may not be happy about the prospect of losing the 29-year-old going ahead of him, and speaking on talkSPORT (19 April, 19:31), Jamie O’Hara said: “Gabby [Agbonlahor] isn’t going to be happy. He’s going to lose his record, isn’t he? It’s going.”
All jokes aside, Agbonlahor will undoubtedly be proud of Watkins matching his record and potentially beating his goal tally for the Lions.
Emery will be glad to see the English centre-forward firing again in the final stretch of the season as the Birmingham club look to secure a Champions League spot.
The Villa Park faithful will hope the 29-year-old continues his form until the end of the season and help them make more special memories in the upcoming campaign.