Ollie Watkins scored his 12h and 13th goals of the Premier League season to lead Aston Villa past Fulham in a 2-1 affair at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Rodrigo Muniz stayed hot to pull a goal back for Fulham late, but the Cottagers lost for just the second time in 2024 and saw their unbeaten run ends at three games.
WATCH FULHAM vs ASTON VILLA FULL MATCH REPLAY
Villa will finish the matchweek alone in fourth place with 49 points, two more than Tottenham.
Fulham’s 29 points are still 10 clear of the bottom three and seven outside the top eight.
Ollie Watkins is a special striker
Fulham can hope Rodrigo Muniz or Armand Broja is a star-in-the-making, but Aston Villa’s got a forward in his prime and that’ll be the difference against a lot of teams.
Watkins is right up there with Ivan Toney and Harry Kane as the most complete English strikers, and he’s probably closer to Kane than Toney at this point.
Watkins sets up teammates and has a great gauge as when it’s his time to shoot. When it is, Watkins is so good at creating a yard of space, turning his man, and firing toward the open parts of the net.
We can talk about Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, and Jacob Ramsey til we’re blue in the face, but Ollie Watkins is a special, special player and the main reasons Villa continue to flirt with the top four.
What’s next?
Fulham go to Manchester United at 10am ET Saturday, the same time Villa host Forest.
How to watch Fulham vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET Saturday
TV Channel: Peacock Premium
Online: Premier League on Peacock
Fulham vs Aston Villa live updates as they happened - By Nick Mendola
Fulham vs Aston Villa player ratings (via Fotmob)
Fulham vs Aston Villa player ratings (via fotmob.com)
Fulham vs Aston Villa player ratings (via fotmob.com)
Fulham vs Aston Villa final score: 1-2
Goal: Watkins (23', 56'), Muniz (63')
Red-hot Muniz gets Fulham back in it — Fulham 1-2 Aston Villa (63rd minute)
No one’s going as well as Rodrigo Muniz for Fulham, and the 22-year-old’s pulled one back for the Cottagers with less than a half-hour to play.
It’s a lung-busting run from Antonee Robinson to get off a cross from the left, and Muniz wins the ball with a redirection at the front post.
Watkins gets his brace — Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa (56thminute)
Watkins has his second as Youri Tielemans releases him with a terrific through ball.
Like the first goal, the job’s not done and he shows why he and Ivan Toney are jockeying to be the closest thing in the Premier League to Harry Kane.
Cottagers bad giveaway leads to Ollie Watkins goal — Fulham 0-1 Aston Villa (23rd minute)
It’s a terrible throw-in, sending Willian toward his own goal to track a loose ball.
He loses a duel to Jacob Ramsey, who pushes the ball to Ollie Watkins inside the 18.
Watkins still has plenty to do, and does it with a terrific turn past two defenders and a low finish beyond the reach of Bernd Leno.
1-0!
Fulham lineup
Team news for #FULAVL is in! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qJx9hlI1Ef
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) February 17, 2024
Aston Villa lineup
Introducing your Aston Villa team! 👊 pic.twitter.com/zO5woqGjm3
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 17, 2024
Fulham focus, team news
Rodrigo Muniz is on fire, scoring his first three goals of the season over the past two games.
OUT: Raul Jimenez (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Calvin Bassey (international duty), Alex Iwobi (international duty)
Aston Villa focus, team news
Villa hasn’t beaten a team outside the bottom half since their back-to-back wins over Man City and Arsenal, and Emiliano Martinez has oscillated between clean sheets and conceding multiple goals. He could use better from his men at the back.
OUT: Boubacar Kamara (torn ACL - out for season), Diego Carlos (hamstring), Emiliano Buendia (torn ACL - out for season), Tyrone Mings (torn ACL - out for season), Jhon Duran (undisclosed), Ezri Konsa (knee)
