This time last month Aston Villa were preparing for the Parc des Princes and while they have enjoyed some memorable trips on the continent this campaign, it was hard to escape the sense that this one, in more modest surroundings in the spring Dorset sunshine, was arguably their most significant takeaway of the season yet. It probably felt even bigger for Unai Emery given his side finished with 10 men, Jacob Ramsey sent off late on for a second yellow card offence. And then deep into second-half stoppage time, Emiliano Martínez made a magnificent save to prevent Antoine Semenyo from side-footing in an equaliser.
Related: Bournemouth v Aston Villa: Premier League – live
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Ollie Watkins scored the only goal on the verge of half-time, his deft finish sufficient to earn a priceless Villa win in the race to qualify again for the Champions League and eclipse Gabriel Agbonlahor’s Premier League goalscoring record, this the England striker’s 75th in the top flight. “Something tells me I’m into something good,” crooned the 1,307 away supporters on loop. Villa’s big win was a damaging defeat for Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth and their European aspirations, especially with Brentford and Brighton winning before kick-off here.
There is an argument that this was Villa’s trickiest assignment left this season, with Emery’s side taking on Tottenham and then Manchester United in their final matches, two teams transfixed on the same thing from here: winning the Europa League to sugarcoat their dreadful seasons. This victory hoisted Villa into sixth, above Nottingham Forest and level on points with Newcastle and Chelsea, who meet on Sunday. With Manchester City dropping points at Southampton, this was a thoroughly satisfying afternoon for a Villa side without Youri Tielemans for the first time this season.
For Villa, the gamechanging moment arrived with almost the final action of a flat first half. After Bournemouth cleared a Villa free-kick, Semenyo was guilty of overplaying, picking the wrong time to try to nutmeg Matty Cash on the left flank and suddenly Villa had the chance to fashion one last attack. Deep into six minutes of stoppage time Morgan Rogers curled a delightful ball into the box and an alive Watkins read the pass, finding the far corner of the Bournemouth net with a dainty finish, the studs of his right boot enough to divert the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Until then there had been few clearcut chances. Unai Emery’s heat-map probably made for a more interesting viewing than some of his players. A couple of minutes earlier Villa forced Arrizabalaga into action for the first time, the on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper repelling Boubacar Kamara’s free header at the back post with his left boot and then smothering the headed rebound from Cash. The initial move stemmed from Marco Asensio wriggling clear of Tyler Adams as Villa stepped up the urgency towards the end of the half. Asensio, who had a slow-burning impact, registered the first effort of note, stroking a shot against a post on 43 minutes after the ball dribbled into his path via the Bournemouth captain, Adam Smith, who had nicked possession from Watkins.
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Bournemouth struggled to test Martínez in the Villa goal. Evanilson sent a header goalwards after meeting Alex Scott’s whipped first-time right-foot cross but it amounted to a routine save. That was on 20 minutes and afterwards Villa stymied Bournemouth’s threats. Justin Kluivert arrived at half-time in place of Scott, who took a couple of whacks from the former Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings and Amadou Onana, and shot wide after sidestepping Ezri Konsa.
The second half had petered out from that moment, 32 seconds into the restart, until Ramsey was given a second yellow card by the referee, Stuart Attwell, on 80 minutes. Ramsey tripped the substitute David Brooks on halfway and after being cautioned for squaring up with Smith towards the end of the first half, the official’s next move was inevitable. Now Bournemouth were revitalised, Semenyo arrowing wide after rolling Lucas Digne and then Martínez pawed an Evanilson header out for a corner after the striker met Brooks’s inventive outside-of-the-boot cross. Villa – just about – held on for a huge win in their push for the top five, the full-time roar from those sun-drenched supporters the biggest giveaway of just how precious these points are.
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