Unai Emery delivered a smash-and-grab masterclass as Ollie Watkins kept Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes alive by sealing the team’s seventh win in eight Premier League games.
Having sat back and let the initial Bournemouth whirlwind blow itself out, the visitors produced a flurry at the end of the first half which was finally rewarded when Watkins turned in Morgan Rogers’ cross in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
Villa held out in the second half despite Jacob Ramsey’s late red card with goalkeeper Emi Martinez outstanding, and as a result they leapfrogged Nottingham Forest into sixth and join Newcastle and Chelsea on 63 points with those two teams playing each other Sunday lunchtime at St James’ Park, while Forest host Leicester.
For Bournemouth, prospects of a first-ever season in Europe in the Conference League are receding with Brighton and Brentford overtaking them after their victories earlier on Saturday.
With both sides in good form, this Saturday evening kick off had more meaning than most fixtures at this time of the season.
Villa boss Unai Emery gave Amadou Onana the responsibility for covering injured Youri Tielemans. Bournemouth also had a key absentee, Dang Ouattara, with Antoine Semenyo deputising.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game to boost Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes against Bournemouth
Watkins turned in Morgan Rogers’ cross in the sixth minute of stoppage time, much to the dismay of the Bournemouth fans
Jacob Ramsey was sent off late on, but Unai Emery’s side leapfrogged Nottingham Forest into sixth in the table
The home side’s intentions were clear with left back Milos Kerkez pushing forward and Evanilson forcing Martinez into the game’s only save in the opening half-hour.
Aware of Bournemouth’s athleticism, Villa were happy to sit back and there were whistles from the crowd when they took time over goal-kicks and throws.
Referee Stuart Attwell also helped them out by letting off Tyrone Mings for an elbow on Alex Scott that left the Bournemouth midfielder groggy and held the game up so he could receive treatment.
Villa had been 10th when they lost 4-1 at Crystal Palace at the end of February but their league results have picked up since then despite exits in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Emery is known as a master tactician and with Attwell spraying yellow cards around to further disrupt the game, his patient approach paid off at the end of the first half when the visitors suddenly stepped on the gas.
After 43 minutes, Marco Asensio manipulated the ball cleverly on the edge of the box and drilled a left-foot shot against the post. In the next attack, Cherries ‘keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced into an excellent double save from Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash.
The six minutes of stoppage time were almost up when Villa’s late pressure paid off.
Morgan Rogers won possession from Antoine Semenyo in the final third by the touchline and from his expert cross, Watkins beat Illia Zabarnyi and got the deftest of touches past Kepa for his 18th goal of the season – the travelling fans celebrating again when a VAR check deliberated he was not offside.
Antoine Semenyo came within inches of equalising for his team late on when his effort was cleared off the line
Bournemouth were ruing having 64 per cent possession without much to show for it. It suggested Andoni Iraola’s side are more suited to counter-attacking than having the ball for long periods.
Scott didn’t return for the second half – probably best after getting a couple of knocks – with Justin Kluivert on in his place.
Villa felt the time was right to try and get a killer second goal. Within a minute of the restart, Kamara got forward again and drove narrowly wide when well set. Kluivert responded with a neat dribble that ended with a toe poke wide and a theatrical fall which didn’t fool the officials.
The experience of World Cup winner Martinez in Villa’s goal was a comfort blanket for the visitors with the ‘keeper taking responsibility for any crosses that came into the box.
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Another feature of Villa’s season has been the strength of their bench and as Bournemouth threatened to build up another head of steam, Emery turned to John McGinn and Pau Torres for the final quarter. Iraola responded by throwing on a forward, David Brooks, for defender Adam Smith.
The home side’s possession statistics stayed high but Villa stayed in shape as you’d expect under a multiple European trophy-winning manager.
The last thing they needed was to play the final 10 minutes a man short after Ramsey was given a second yellow for a tug on Brooks as the threatened to break away.
It lifted the volume and Martinez made a flying save to keep out Evanilson’s header while Semenyo drove wide. Penalty appeals for handball against Cash were waved away – the defender was holding his arms behind his back when the ball struck him. And in a remarkable late scramble in injury-time, Martinez made an incredible reflex stop with his fingertips to deny Semenyo.
