Aston Villa cruised through to the last eight of the Conference League with a comprehensive win over Ajax on Thursday evening.
Goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby saw Unai Emery’s side bounce back from their damaging defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
One negative saw Watkins substituted midway through the second half with a nasty-looking knee injury.
The 28-year-old gave the home side the lead with an excellent header.
Talking on talkSPORT co-commentary, former Villa star Ray Houghton was blown away by the 28-year-old’s technique.
Aston Villa: Ray Houghton blown away by Ollie Watkins
After Watkins had headed Villa in front, Houghton said [20:06, 14 March]: “What a header. Absolutely wonderful. All the pace was on the delivery, and he just guided it into the corner.
“Classic header, the delivery was excellent, the header was even better. The marking wasn’t great, but take nothing away from Ollie Watkins, beautiful header to give Aston Villa the lead.”
Should Aston Villa be concerned about Ollie Watkins’ injury?
Watkins was involved in a nasty collision, and there will be hope that it was just an impact injury.
Leon Bailey admitted the injury looked “really bad” during his post-match duties. He told TNT Sports: “It looked really bad when I saw it. It was an open wound. I didn’t want him to come off but Jhon Duran did brilliantly. It was sad to see him come off,” Bailey said, who also got his name on the score sheet.”
After the game, John McGinn also raised concern: “A good night at Villa Park, and I’m delighted with some of the players on the scoresheet,” he said. “I have a bit of a worry about Ollie Watkins and Diego Carlos—we’ll see how they are.”
Duran did well last night, but there can be no doubt about Watkins’s importance to this team. If he were to spend an extended period out of the side, Villa’s top-four hopes would be seriously dented.
The Villa Park faithful will hope for a positive update over the coming days.
