Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa: Unai Emery's side boost Champions League hopes with gritty victory as Ollie Watkins nets winner

Unai Emery delivered a smash-and-grab masterclass arsenic Ollie Watkins kept Aston Villa's Champions League hopes live by sealing the team's seventh triumph successful 8 Premier League games.

Having sat backmost and fto the archetypal Bournemouth whirlwind stroke itself out, the visitors produced a flurry astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional which was yet rewarded erstwhile Watkins turned successful Morgan Rogers' transverse successful the sixth infinitesimal of stoppage time.

Villa held retired successful the 2nd fractional contempt Jacob Ramsey's precocious reddish paper with goalkeeper Emi Martinez outstanding, and arsenic a effect they leapfrogged Nottingham Forest into sixth and articulation Newcastle and Chelsea connected 63 points with those 2 teams playing each different Sunday lunchtime astatine St James' Park, portion Forest big Leicester.

For Bournemouth, prospects of a first-ever play successful Europe successful the Conference League are receding with Brighton and Brentford overtaking them aft their victories earlier connected Saturday.

With some sides successful bully form, this Saturday evening footwear disconnected had much meaning than astir fixtures astatine this clip of the season.

Villa brag Unai Emery gave Amadou Onana the work for covering injured Youri Tielemans. Bournemouth besides had a cardinal absentee, Dang Ouattara, with Antoine Semenyo deputising.

The location side's intentions were wide with near backmost Milos Kerkez pushing guardant and Evanilson forcing Martinez into the game's lone prevention successful the opening half-hour.

Aware of Bournemouth's athleticism, Villa were blessed to beryllium backmost and determination were whistles from the assemblage erstwhile they took clip implicit goal-kicks and throws.

Referee Stuart Attwell besides helped them retired by letting disconnected Tyrone Mings for an elbow connected Alex Scott that near the Bournemouth midfielder groggy and held the crippled up truthful helium could person treatment.

Villa had been 10th erstwhile they mislaid 4-1 astatine Crystal Palace astatine the extremity of February but their league results person picked up since past contempt exits successful the FA Cup and Champions League.

Emery is known arsenic a maestro tactician and with Attwell spraying yellowish cards astir to further disrupt the game, his diligent attack paid disconnected astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional erstwhile the visitors abruptly stepped connected the gas.

After 43 minutes, Marco Asensio manipulated the shot cleverly connected the borderline of the container and drilled a left-foot changeable against the post. In the adjacent attack, Cherries 'keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced into an fantabulous treble prevention from Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash.

The six minutes of stoppage clip were astir up erstwhile Villa's precocious unit paid off.

Morgan Rogers won possession from Antoine Semenyo successful the last 3rd by the touchline and from his adept cross, Watkins bushed Illia Zabarnyi and got the deftest of touches past Kepa for his 18th extremity of the play – the travelling fans celebrating again erstwhile a VAR cheque deliberated helium was not offside.

Bournemouth were ruing having 64 per cent possession without overmuch to amusement for it. It suggested Andoni Iraola's broadside are much suited to counter-attacking than having the shot for agelong periods.

Scott didn't instrumentality for the 2nd fractional – astir apt champion aft getting a mates of knocks – with Justin Kluivert connected successful his place.

Villa felt the clip was close to effort and get a slayer 2nd goal. Within a infinitesimal of the restart, Kamara got guardant again and drove narrowly wide erstwhile good set. Kluivert responded with a neat dribble that ended with a toed poke wide and a theatrical autumn which didn't fool the officials.

The acquisition of World Cup victor Martinez successful Villa's extremity was a comfortableness broad for the visitors with the 'keeper taking work for immoderate crosses that came into the box.

Another diagnostic of Villa's play has been the spot of their seat and arsenic Bournemouth threatened to physique up different caput of steam, Emery turned to John McGinn and Pau Torres for the last quarter. Iraola responded by throwing connected a forward, David Brooks, for defender Adam Smith.

The location side's possession statistic stayed precocious but Villa stayed successful signifier arsenic you'd expect nether a aggregate European trophy-winning manager.

The past happening they needed was to play the last 10 minutes a antheral abbreviated aft Ramsey was fixed a 2nd yellowish for a tug connected Brooks arsenic the threatened to interruption away.

It lifted the measurement and Martinez made a flying prevention to support retired Evanilson's header portion Semenyo drove wide. Penalty appeals for handball against Cash were waved distant – the defender was holding his arms down his backmost erstwhile the shot struck him. And successful a singular precocious scramble successful injury-time, Martinez made an unthinkable reflex halt with his fingertips to contradict Semenyo.