Journalist hail ‘pleasing’ Watkins who ‘tormented’ Burnley

Aston Villa put Burnley to the sword with a 3-1 win at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon and Ollie Watkins was one of many players who shone.

The 26-year-old hasn’t been at his best this season but took his Premier League tally to double figures for the second consecutive campaign with a brilliant close-range header.

Ashley Preece of Birmingham Live gave Watkins a player rating of 8/10 and said he ‘tormented’ the Burnley defence. Preece added how the England international was a ‘monster’ to defend against and looked a ‘man on a mission’ with Gareth Southgate present.

Grey Whitebloom of 90min gave a player rating of 7/10 and said he was a ‘constant nuisance’ at Burnley. Cole Pettem of 7500 to Holte gave the 26-year-old a player rating of 7.5/10 and called his overall performance ‘pleasing’.

Against the Clarets, Watkins played for 90 minutes, had 43 touches, had three shots, created one chance, made three tackles, completed 63% of his 27 passes and won four aerial duels.

The 26-year-old has made 31 Premier League appearances this season, scoring 10 goals. Watkins bagged 14 goals in 2020/21, so he would need a strong finish to the campaign to surpass that tally this late.

In other news, journalists say ‘magical’ Emiliano Buendia was ‘clinical’ v Burnley