Watkins’ goal secures vital win for Aston Villa against Brentford

Ollie Watkins once again tormented his former club, Brentford, scoring the only goal in Aston Villa’s 1-0 victory on Saturday as Unai Emery’s side moved closer to the Premier League’s top four.

The England striker has now netted six times in his last six outings against Brentford but benefited from a costly error by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, whose fumble allowed Villa to secure a crucial win.

The victory lifts Villa to seventh place, just two points off the top four, capping off a successful week that saw them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals and take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Champions League last-16 tie against Club Brugge.

“We have to be extremely demanding for the rest of the season,” said Emery. “Now we are really hungry to play the last two-and-a-half months. We lost something in our way this year, and we have to try to recover it now, especially in the Premier League.”

Villa were without the injured Emi Martinez, while Marcus Rashford was benched in one of two changes from their midweek European victory. The team had struggled domestically, winning just one of their last seven league games, putting their Champions League hopes at risk.

After a slow first half, Villa broke the deadlock four minutes into the second period when Watkins’ low-driven strike slipped through Flekken’s hands. Watkins then set up Morgan Rogers for what seemed like Villa’s second goal, but a VAR review ruled it out for offside.

Brentford pushed for an equalizer in the final half-hour, with Keane Lewis-Potter coming closest when his long-range shot struck the post. Watkins had a golden chance to seal the win late on but mishit an attempted chip over Flekken.

A first away league win in nearly two months puts Villa firmly back in the hunt for a Champions League spot. With England’s strong European performances this season, a top-five finish could be enough to secure a place in next season’s competition.

Villa now sit just one point outside the top five, with only five points separating fourth-placed Manchester City and 10th-placed Fulham in an increasingly tight race for European qualification.