sports
Aston Villa back in Champions League as Ollie Watkins double sinks Liverpool
It almost felt like Aston Villa were trolling Liverpool as someone inside this throbbing stadium pressed play and the operatic Champions League anthem blared over the speakers. Villa had just qualified in style, a stirring victory superbly spearheaded by Ollie Watkins that exposed the kind of blind spots that have undermined Arne Slot’s meek title defence. For Villa, this was the perfect tonic before Wednesday’s Europa League final in Istanbul and for Unai Emery, arguably his greatest triumph yet given the financial muscle of their rivals. Well, for a few days at least.
TL;DR
- Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League with a victory over Liverpool.
- Ollie Watkins scored two goals for Aston Villa.
- Morgan Rogers opened the scoring for Villa, and John McGinn added a fourth.
- Liverpool conceded 20 goals from set pieces in the league season.
- Unai Emery was not included on the Premier League's manager of the season shortlist.
- Liverpool's defensive vulnerabilities were apparent throughout the match.