Ollie Watkins had a day to forget against Man United after Aston Villa were defeated 2-1 at Villa Park.
In a highly competitive affair, both sides went toe to toe as they looked to increase their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Villa came into the game on a mixed run of form as they looked to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in midweek.
However, despite creating numerous chances throughout the match, Unai Emery’s side could not muster more than one goal.
This came back to bite Villa as the Red Devils netted a later winner through Scott Mctominay as they closed the gap on the West Midlands side to five points.
Multiple first-team players were poor in front of goal at Villa Park. However, the one player who stood out was unfortunately Watkins.
Clinical touch missing for Ollie Watkins in Aston Villa vs Man United
Watkins has been widely praised so far this campaign and deservedly so. The striker has been one of the Villa’s star players and recently netted his 50th Premier League goal for the club.
However, against Man United, the striker was unable to capitalise on multiple good chances in big moments. The biggest came towards the start of the second half where he fired a shot straight at the ‘keeper from around five yards out.
According to WhoScored, Watkins had three shots in the game without finding the net while also being dispossessed four times. His final rating on the site for 6.4, the third lowest of any player that started the game.
Sofascore also estimates that his xG from the game was around 0.77, very high for a player who didn’t find the net during the match.
Ollie Watkins quickly needs to move on
The striker needs to quickly forget about the result and move on. Watkins clearly has plenty of ability and cannot afford to dwell on a poor game as Villa go into a crucial part of the season.
The Champions League is still well within the West Midlands side’s hands. While the Premier League title may well now be out of their reach, qualification in Europe’s most prestigious tournament would make this season one to remember.
Watkins is crucial to ensuring Villa complete this task. His goals can change a game in a second and despite a poor showing against United, fans will have plenty of faith that he can bounce back.
