Aston Villa strengthened their bid for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 victory away at already-relegated Southampton on Saturday, April 12th, despite Marco Asensio missing two second-half penalties. Substitute Ollie Watkins played a pivotal role, opening the scoring and winning the first penalty.
After a goalless first half where Villa struggled to break down a deep-lying Southampton defence, Watkins’ introduction midway through the second period proved the catalyst. Southampton’s best chance had fallen to Cameron Archer in the first half, but his shot was saved by Emiliano Martinez. Villa’s Youri Tielemans also saw two efforts saved by Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Two minutes after coming on, Ollie Watkins went down under Jan Bednarek’s challenge, resulting in a penalty. However, Asensio’s spot-kick was saved by Ramsdale. Undeterred, Watkins broke the deadlock just three minutes later, finishing first-time off the underside of the crossbar from an exquisite Tielemans pass.
Donyell Malen doubled Villa’s lead six minutes later with his third goal in as many league games, finishing from Morgan Rogers’ pass.
Villa were awarded another penalty in added time, but Ramsdale again denied Asensio. However, fellow substitute John McGinn reacted quickest to slot home the rebound, sealing a comfortable, if eventful, victory for Unai Emery’s side.
Asensio becomes only the fourth player in Premier League history to miss two penalties in the same game.
Villa Climb Table, Saints Set Records
The victory lifts Aston Villa to fifth in the Premier League table (54 points), moving ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle United in the tight race for European spots. The win continues their strong league form (five wins in six) as they prepare for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG on Wednesday, where they trail 3-1.
For Southampton, the defeat confirms more unwanted records in a dismal season. They have now lost 26 Premier League games, the most in their history, including a club-record 13 home defeats. They remain on 10 points, still needing a point to avoid matching Derby County’s record-low tally of 11 from 2007-08. Their tendency to concede late goals was also highlighted, having now let in 20 goals in the final 15 minutes of league matches this season, more than any other team.
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