Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the match as Aston Villa recorded a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth in Saturday's Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium.
The England international turned a cross from Morgan Rogers into the back of the net to hand Villa the lead in the sixth minute of stoppage time at the end of the first period.
Watkins's goal proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Villa moved above Nottingham Forest into sixth spot in the Premier League table, level on points with both fifth-placed Chelsea and fourth-placed Newcastle United.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, remain 10th, two points behind eighth-placed Brentford, and it is a first loss for the Cherries since the start of April, with their five-game unbeaten run coming to an end in front of their own supporters.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
© Imago
This was a big match for Villa, with Unai Emery's side battling hard to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League table, and they have now given themselves a real chance of securing more Champions League football for next season.
Matty Cash made an incredible goal-line clearance in the final exchanges, and the celebrations that arrived soon after demonstrated the importance of the victory for a team that lost in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at the end of last month.
Villa will crucially host a Tottenham Hotspur side next that will rest all of their key players ahead of the Europa League final, before heading to Manchester United on the final matchday of the 2024-25 campaign.
Watkins has shown his frustration at times this season when overlooked for starts, with Marcus Rashford, who is currently injured, being chosen through the middle in certain matches.
However, the 29-year-old came up with his 16th league goal of the campaign to hand Villa a vital win, and he has now become the team's all-time top goalscorer in Premier League history on 75, overtaking Gabby Agbonlahor.
BOURNEMOUTH VS. ASTON VILLA HIGHLIGHTS
Ollie Watkins goal vs. Bournemouth (45th min, Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa)
OLLIE WATKINS! 🔥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 10, 2025
The scenes for Aston Villa! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/l2eAS9ZTeh
Villa make the breakthrough in the closing stages of the first period at the Vitality Stadium, and it is Watkins on the scoresheet, with the striker turning a cross from Rogers into the back of the net from close range.
MAN OF THE MATCH - EMILIANO MARTINEZ
© Imago
Bournemouth pushed and pushed for a leveller in the latter stages, with Villa's goalkeeper coming under enormous pressure, but he stood up to the challenge and made a number of crucial saves and blocks.
The 32-year-old made four saves and six claims, but he only just takes the award ahead of teammate Cash, who came up with a quite brilliant goal-line clearance in the final stages of the match.
BOURNEMOUTH VS. ASTON VILLA MATCH STATS
Possession: Bournemouth 66%-34% Aston Villa
Shots: Bournemouth 10-6 Aston Villa
Shots on target: Bournemouth 4-3 Aston Villa
Corners: Bournemouth 10-0 Aston Villa
Fouls: Bournemouth 19-12 Aston Villa
BEST STAT
Ollie Watkins last 2 seasons:
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) May 10, 2025
70 G/A
44 Goals
26 Assists pic.twitter.com/Scueq3pQYC
Ollie Watkins has done it. 🤯
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 10, 2025
He becomes Aston Villa's all-time top goalscorer in Premier League history after overtaking talkSPORT's very own Gabby Agbonlahor. 👏
Sorry Gabby. 😬 pic.twitter.com/qDOh1CH62L
WHAT NEXT?
Villa's push to secure Champions League football for the 2025-26 campaign will continue on Friday evening, when they welcome Europa League finalists Tottenham to Villa Park for a crucial affair.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will be back in action against Manchester City on May 20, with the Cherries then finishing their campaign at home to already-relegated Leicester City on May 25.
Matt Law
