Southampton 0-3 Aston Villa: Unai Emery’s side move into Champions League spots despite Aaron Ramsdale’s penalty heroics as three late goals see off rock-bottom Saints
After watching his Aston Villa team-mates plug away for over an hour, it took Ollie Watkins just seven minutes to get the job done.
Up until then, this was not how Unai Emery had planned it. With their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain just days away, many of the big guns he will need to overturn a two-goal deficit were still out there, using up their energy, unable to break down a stubborn Southampton side.
Once Emery made the changes, everything changed.
Moments after replacing Marcus Rashford, Watkins won Villa’s first of two penalties – both saved by Aaron Ramsdale from Marco Asensio – and then put his side ahead before fellow substitutes Donyell Malen and John McGinn wrapped up the victory.
This was a win that moved Villa into the fifth Champions League spot, just three points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest after their defeat to Everton, and now allows them to put all their attentions into creating European magic on Tuesday night.
It would have been so easy for Villa to turn their thoughts there prematurely but Emery has been in this game long enough to know it does not do to dwell on miracles, not when it could come at the expense of missing out on a place in the Champions League altogether next season.
Securing a place on Europe’s top table next season is just as important as the hopes of a famous night at Villa Park and, if we’re being sensible about it, probably more so.
So, there was no rest for the Morgan Rogers. No cotton wool for Youri Tielemans or Rashford. No rest for Asensio – even against a Southampton side already relegated and still not yet past Derby’s all-time lowest points record. The message was clear: get the job done, then rest.
It almost took those key players less than a minute to make a difference as Tielemans picked out Rashford’s run with a lovely ball over the top from deep and it required a last-ditch block from Jan Bednarek to stop him finding the target.
Villa face Newcastle, Manchester City and Fulham in their next three Premier League games, all direct rivals in the battle for Champions League places. They have an FA Cup semi-final to navigate too. They could not afford to let chances to brush aside fodder like this slip.
Because complacency, even against teams as poor as Southampton, can quickly bite you in this game. Tyrone Mings nearly discovered that when he dallied on the ball inside his own area and suddenly found himself in the warm embrace of 6ft 7in Saints striker Paul Onuachu and was fortunate to be awarded a free-kick by the referee.
So did Tielemans, who gave away possession inside the Saints half and in a flash Kyle Walker-Peters sent a fine ball down the right to Cameron Archer and the former Villa striker drove into the box and forced a smart save from Martinez.
Villa moved the ball neatly on the edge of the Southampton box with little one-touch passes but just could not find the killer ball with Saints were happy to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter-attack. Matty Cash, Asensio, Tielemans and Rashford all fired efforts over the bar.
Ramsey couldn’t find Rashford after a promising breakaway. Asensio left a pass sloppily short on the edge of the Southampton box. Rashford skipped past Archer but then pulled a dangerous ball back across goal to no one. Emery’s side will have to be more precise if they want to break down PSG’s defence next week.
So, the big guns had to stay on. They had to keep keep running, keep pressing, keep getting clattered by a physical Saints side intent on leaving their mark.
More than an hour had passed by the time Emery called his first lot of starters back to the paddock as Watkins and Malen replaced Rashford and Ramsey.
It took Watkins less than two minutes to make his impact as he burst into the area, was hacked down by birthday boy Bednarek and won Villa a penalty only for Asensio to see his spot kick saved by Ramsdale down to his left.
No matter. Moments later, Tielemans dinked the ball over the Southampton back line, Watkins thrust out a leg, looped the ball over the advancing Ramsdale, off the underside of the bar and in.
Fellow substitute Malen soon doubles the lead after Rogers slipped him through and he drilled the ball past Ramsdale and into the bottom corner.
McGinn would add a third, reacting quickest after Ramsdale saved a second penalty from Asensio. If Villa win one against PSG on Tuesday night, you get the feeling he might not be taking the next one.
