Luton 2 Aston Villa 3: Super-sub Lucas Digne boosts Villans’ top four hopes after they threw away two-goal lead
OLLIE WATKINS scored twice to seal his best ever Premier League scoring season but Unai Emery was bailed out by two of his substitutes.
Villa striker Watkins grabbed goals no 15 and 16 in this impressive to leapfrog Mo Salah and move within one-goal of 17-goal Erling Haaland.
Yet remarkably, showing they will not go down this season without a bloody huge fight, Luton pulled themselves back into the match by capitalising on some poor Villa defending with Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris both scoring inside six minutes.
Yet Emery, knowing his team appeared to be on a suicide mission to lose this game, made FOUR subs in the 79th minute.
These included Moussa Diaby and Lucas Digne and in the 89th minute, Villa grabbed the winner which sees them remain in a strong position in the top four.
Digne had not scored in the Premier League since November 2022 yet he met Diaby’s cross at the far post and it could prove to be a huge moment in what is turning out to be a terrific season for Villa.
As for Luton, this was gut-wrenching and a fifth successive loss in all competitions. At the end, the team was applauded off the pitch but Rob Edwards’ team, who have been so impressive this season, need to start picking up results again.
In contrast, Villa go into Thursday’s Europa League visit to Ajax on the back of three successive League wins but they cannot afford lapses in concentration like displayed midway inside the second half.
But with Watkins in terrific form, and he has beaten last season’s record of 15 Premier League goals, they have a chance.
With Harry Kane moving to Bayern Munich and Ivan Toney serving his betting ban, you would not have put much money on an Englishman appearing at the top of the scoring charts.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Watkins couldn’t actually beat Haaland, could he? Well, probably not. Yet the fact he is playing with such freedom and confidence – he has also delivered 10 assists – is not only good news for Emery but for Gareth Southgate.
When Watkins put Villa in command in the first half, the only question was whether he would leave with the match ball.
Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski will have been mightily relieved to have been given the night off on Tuesday when his no 2, Tim Krul, had six goals stuck past him by Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth round.
Kaminski made a couple of decent saves to keep out efforts from Jacob Ramsey and Watkins but Luton’s third clean sheet never seemed a possibility.
And Watkins was left completely unmarked to score with a near-post header from Leon Bailey’s corner.
Watkins fired a shot against the post and then and then thought he had been denied a second by the linesman’s flag.
Full marks to Douglas Luiz for having the intelligence to catch out Luton by floating a quickly-taken free-kick over the top of the home side’s square defence.
Watkins took a touch before burying the ball into the bottom right corner and while he initially looked up to the sky in disappointment, his mood soon changed when, after a quick VAR check, it was obvious that he was being played onside on the other side of the pitch by sub Chiedozie Ogbene.
Yet Luton once again proved they have some cajones and they were rewarded for their persistence by scoring twice to put themselves in a position to win the game.
After Matty Cash blocked a header by Reece Burke on the line, Chong scrambled the ball over the line.
And while Emery will have been disappointed with the fact his side failed to clear Alfie Doughty’s corner, he will have been livid with the second.
Villa’s players seemed to just stand and admire Doughty’s free-kick over to the far post and Morris delivered that great finish by sweeping the ball past Emi Martinez.
Emery made those four changes in the 79th minute and with Luton on their knees, Digne ended up the unlikely hero with just a minute left.