Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins was one positive from the disappointing draw to Brentford on Saturday, as the Englishman broke one long-standing club record.
It was a difficult result for Aston Villa to take on Saturday afternoon against Brentford, as the Villans settled for a 3-3 draw at Villa Park.
Like every game in the run-in, it was a fixture that Unai Emery’s side had to win in order to remain in control of the race for fourth place however, the chance slipped away from the hosts.
After securing a win over Nottingham Forest yesterday evening, Tottenham entered the top four to see Villa drop to fifth, making the result against Brentford even more frustrating.
A goal from Ollie Watkins and a first Villa goal for Morgan Rogers saw the Villans take a 2-0 lead at home, all for their hard work to be undone by a nine-minute quick fire from the Bees, who took the lead in the second half.
Luckily, Watkins was there again to drag his side out of the mud, netting his second of the game to secure a draw although, the goal stood for a lot more than just the equaliser.
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The Aston Villa record that Ollie Watkins broke against Brentford
By claiming his 18th goal of the Premier League season, Watkins broke a record that had stood at Aston Villa for 11 years, spanning back to the 2012/13 campaign.
The Englishman’s second goal was not only his 18th of the season but his 18th non-penalty goal of the 2023/24 Premier League calendar, making him the first Villa player to reach such a milestone.
Before Watkins’ brace, Dwight Yorke and Christian Benteke were the joint-top non-penalty Villa scorers for hitting 16 goals, Yorke’s record coming in the 1996/97 season and Benteke’s in 2012/13.
Emery’s talisman is now Villa’s leading scorer for non-penalty goals in the Premier League with 18 in a single season and with six games to play, it seems likely that his lead could soon be extended.
Ollie Watkins is on course to break more records this season
Not only is Watkins the top scorer at his club this season, but is currently leading the charts for the most goal contributions in the Premier League.
Having scored 18 and assisted 10, the England international has 28 goal contributions this term, leading both Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland in that area.
It’s been a memorable year for the £130k-a-week Villa superstar already, having secured his best-ever scoring tally in the Premier League, as well as being on course to break another club record.
Watkins now needs just two goals to become Villa’s best scorer in a Premier League season, as well as becoming the first-ever Villan to hit the 20-goal milestone in the league.
It’s a credit to the 28-year-old who is standing out with competition as star-studded as the English top-flight, with renowned names in world football trailing the Villa dynamo for his contribution to goals.
The draw against Brentford will be made a bit sweeter for the striker after breaking the 11-year record, with more milestones in his sights to reach.
