Premier League news: Aston Villa march on as Ollie Watkins haunts former side Brentford

Aston Villa beat Brentford 1-0 on Saturday to maintain their quest for Champions League football next season and have former Bees man Ollie Watkins to thank for the result.

Unai Emery’s side now find themselves only four points adrift of the top four with 10 games left in the campaign.

And with Villa having won three games on the bounce across three different competitions, fans will be hopeful of a timely return to last year’s rhythm and form ahead of a crunch period.

Sports News Blitz writer Harrison Pearce looks at three influential Villa players from the win in West London.

Robert Olsen

For many, Olsen was the player of the match against Brentford due to his three crucial saves – which were also made at crucial times – and priceless clean sheet.

The Sweden international has only played four games all season, remember, so those saves will no doubt have done his confidence a world of good.

Usually confined to the bench as Emiliano Martinez’s understudy, Olsen is always dependable when called upon and proved once again on Saturday why he is a capable number two for Emery.

While it is true that the 35-year-old does not have the passing range of Martinez, his shot-stopping ability is second to none.

Receiving a standing ovation from the fans at the end of the game was a nice touch too.

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Axel Disasi

Disasi was another who made a strong case for being named the player of the match.

Emery has been testing the Frenchman in a new right-back role lately in order to help the defence transition into a back-three formation at certain times.

After he had a torrid time there against Club Brugge’s Christian Tzolis in the Champions League the other night, Disasi looked right at home in the position on Saturday.

The defender was particularly aggressive in the tackle, muscling Fábio Carvalho off the ball and putting in a late challenge to deny Keane Lewis-Potter from equalising at one point.

If the on-loan Chelsea man continues to impress Emery, Villa might just get a cut-price permanent deal in the summer as the Blues will be desperate to get Disasi off their books.

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Ollie Watkins

In the end, it was former Bees striker Watkins who grabbed the only goal of the game, his sixth in six appearances against Brentford since departing the club in 2020.

The England international could also have had an assist, but Morgan Rogers strayed offside in the build-up.

Watkins is certainly not in the same form as he was last term, when he bagged 27 goals, but the striker remains a dangerous prospect for opposition defences and a useful cog in Emery’s well-worked machine.

Thanks to the three points, Villa moved up to seventh in the Premier League table, one point behind sixth-placed Brighton.

Even though the visitors only had 40% possession in West London, they racked up a solid 1.33 xG and managed 12 shots, four of which came via Watkins.

It was a back-and-forth type of game for the most part, with Villa grabbing the big opportunity when it presented itself – the mark of a top side.

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