Aston Villa recorded a crucial win in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie against Lille, seeing one of Unai Emery’s jewels lauded for one key element of his game.
With the second leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final being played away, it was imperative that Aston Villa recorded a win against LOSC Lille at Villa Park.
A win is exactly what Unai Emery watched his side achieve, winning 2-1 on the night as Ollie Watkins and John McGinn ensured the Villans took a lead to France.
It was far from a comfortable victory for the hosts, who were challenged by Lille on numerous occasions, with the visitors having one goal chalked out due to offside, only to then narrow Villa’s lead as Bafode Diakite scored late.
Perhaps Emery would have preferred to see his side take a wider margin of victory with them into the second leg however, the Spaniard will certainly be joyed by the performance of one of his key players on the night.
Ollie Watkins praised by TNT Sports pundit for his performance against LOSC Lille
By scoring his 25th goal of the season, Watkins proved once more just how integral he is to Villa, playing a significant role in ensuring his side got the win against Lille.
The 28-year-old was not only praised for his superbly worked header to open the scoring but saw his overall display commended by TNT Sports commentator, Lucy Ward.
Speaking during the game, Ward took the time to mention the striker’s overall development, dubbing him as a player with ‘all-round’ capabilities.
“For a goalscorer, Watkins is so selfless, instead of turning and looking for something himself, he’s always looking for Luiz on the edge of the area.”
“He’s turned into the all-round striker, he doesn’t dilute himself, he stays in the right areas and works hard for the team.”
Many times, the striker was spotted dropping deeper to receive the ball and move intricately around the final third, causing havoc for Lille’s well-oiled defence as he continued his searing form in front of goal.
Unai Emery has got the best out of Ollie Watkins, as seen against Lille
Watkins has truly evolved since the arrival of Emery in October 2022, seeing all areas of his game elevate aside from just becoming more potent when it comes to finishing.
As well as being a seasoned and reliable goalscorer, the Englishman has added other strengths to his style, with his movement strong against Lille as well as his ability to generate positive passages of play from next to nothing.
Goals are of course the most important thing to the Villa talisman, who is leading by example in that department at Villa Park.
The post 'Works hard for the team': TNT pundit raves over one Aston Villa player who was 'so selfless' v Lille appeared first on Aston Villa News.