Villa bag three late goals to sweep Saints aside | OneFootball

Second-half substitute Ollie Watkins found the net as Aston Villa strengthened their bid for back-to-back Champions League qualifications with a composed win over already-relegated Southampton.

Watkins, who replaced Marcus Rashford midway through the second half, made an immediate impact—opening the scoring just seven minutes after his introduction. The England international latched onto a sublime pass from Youri Tielemans and struck a crisp, first-time effort that ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar before crossing the line.

Moments earlier, Villa had spurned an opportunity to take the lead when Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale saved a penalty from Marco Asensio, awarded after Jan Bednarek brought down Watkins with a clumsy challenge in the area.

Donyell Malen doubled the advantage with his third goal in as many Premier League appearances, before Asensio was again denied from the spot in added time. This time, however, John McGinn reacted quickly to slot home the rebound and secure all three points for Unai Emery’s side.

Southampton, already consigned to relegation, created little in response. Their clearest chance came in the first half when Cameron Archer ran onto Kyle Walker-Peters’ through ball, only to fire straight at Emiliano Martinez.

The result lifts Aston Villa into fifth place in the Premier League table, while Southampton remain rooted to the bottom on 10 points.