Ollie Watkins has admitted his goal and assist in Aston Villa’s emphatic 4-1 victory over Newcastle United were fuelled by frustration after being benched in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
The England striker made only brief substitute appearances in Villa’s dramatic clash with PSG, with manager Unai Emery preferring Marcus Rashford to lead the line.
Despite Villa’s spirited second-leg performance, they were eliminated from the competition and Watkins was left seething.
“I was fuming that I wasn’t playing and I let him know,” Watkins said after the win at Villa Park. “I’m not happy to sit on the bench. I’ve played a big part to get us here and I wanted to be on that pitch.”
Watkins wasted no time making a statement, scoring within 33 seconds and setting up Ian Maatsen’s goal as Villa surged past Newcastle.
A Dan Burn own goal and a thunderous strike from Amadou Onana completed the scoring, securing Villa’s fifth straight league win and reigniting their top-five hopes.
Emery praised Watkins’ response, saying, “His commitment is always high. This is what we want and need.”
Villa now sit just two points behind Newcastle in the race for next season’s Champions League, with Watkins determined to help drive them over the line.
