Watkins double downs Fulham to send Villa into top four

LONDON :Ollie Watkins scored twice as Aston Villa held off a late fightback from Fulham to move into the top four of the Premier League with a 2-1 away win on Saturday.

The England striker, who had the ball in the net inside two minutes but was offside, scored either side of halftime to take his tally in the league this season to 13 goals.

Watkins capitalised on a loose throw-in to turn and fire home before he doubled Villa's lead after 56 minutes with an emphatic finish from Youri Tielemans' perfect through ball.

Rodrigo Muniz pulled one back in the 64th minute, his fourth goal in three games, after Clement Lenglet's hesitation allowed the forward to poke home from close range.

The goal lifted the home fans and set up a breathless end to the match, with Fulham pushing for an equaliser as Villa tried to exploit the space left behind on the counter.

Substitute Adama Traore had the best chance to snatch a point, forcing a great save from Emiliano Martinez at the start of stoppage time.

Villa withstood the pressure for a deserved win to leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur, who lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers, into fourth place on 49 points. Fulham remained 12th on 29.