Aston Villa boosted their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes thanks to a 3-0 win over relegated Southampton, despite Aaron Ramsdale saving two penalties.
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Three substitutes flipped the game on its head, with Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen and John McGinn getting the goals at St Mary’s.
Watkins scored the opener in the 73rd minute, moments after he had won a penalty that Marco Asensio took but was saved by Ramsdale.
Malen doubled Villa’s lead six minutes later, before Ramsdale then kept out another Asensio spot-kick, only for McGinn to score on the rebound.
Villa move up to fifth in the Premier League, which will be enough for Champions League qualification this season. They are one point behind Manchester City and three behind Nottingham Forest following their loss to Everton, while Southampton remain 20th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
32 | +20 | 55 |
| 5 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
32 | +3 | 54 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
31 | +17 | 53 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
30 | +13 | 53 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
31 | +5 | 48 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
32 | +2 | 48 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
31 | +11 | 45 |
How the match unfolded
Jan Bednarek made an excellent block in the opening minute to deny Marcus Rashford, but Southampton had the clearest opening of the early exchanges as Emiliano Martinez clawed Cameron Archer’s effort away from a tight angle.
Villa threatened at the other end as Ramsdale charged out to deny Youri Tielemans from close range after Asensio’s cross had created problems inside the Southampton penalty area.
The visitors needed the impact of Watkins to make their dominance count though, and just two minutes after coming on, he was brought down by Bednarek after racing on to Morgan Rogers’ through-ball.
Ramsdale pushed away Asensio’s effort, yet he was picking the ball out of his net moments later when Watkins brilliantly flicked home from Tielemans’ looping pass.
Southampton’s goalkeeper was beaten again when Malen peeled away down the right side of the box and struck firmly low into the far corner.
There was another gift to come for Villa in stoppage time – McGinn was clipped just inside the box, and although Ramsdale denied Asensio from 12 yards once more, the Scotl reacted quickest to fire in a third for Unai Emery’s team.
Familiar errors plague Saints
Last week’s 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur finally sealed Southampton’s fate, as relegation to the Championship was confirmed with seven matches remaining.
Ivan Juric’s subsequent departure left Simon Rusk in interim charge for the remainder of the campaign, but he would have been pleased with the courageous and well-organised first-half showing from his players.
Southampton resorted to a low block in the first 45 minutes, which left little to no space for Villa to exploit in their attempts to get in behind, while also allowing the Premier League’s bottom club to feel their way into the match.
They started the second half in a similar fashion even as the game became more stretched, but eventually Villa’s continued pressure became too much.
Bednarek was the wrong side of Watkins when he slid in, and though Ramsdale saved the resulting penalty, Southampton were notably rattled after it had been awarded, leading to two quickfire goals.
Even at 2-0 down, they did still attempt to offer a threat, with Martinez making a low save to deny Matheus Fernandes late on, but it was too little, too late, and McGinn added further gloss for Villa shortly after.
Next up for Southampton are West Ham United. Rusk’s team still need a point to equal Derby County’s 2007/08 tally of 11, which stands as the worst in Premier League history.
Villa show strength in depth
Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals took a lot out of Emery’s side physically, with the Spaniard opting to make four changes on Saturday.
That could explain the stale start, with Villa mostly controlling possession but struggling to fashion many clear-cut chances.
They were mostly restricted to shots from long range for the first 60 minutes of the match, with only Tielemans and Amadou Onana forcing serious work from Ramsdale.
Jacob Ramsey struggled to make a telling impact, while Rashford drifted away from his central striking position but to no avail.
The double substitution of Watkins and Malen jolted Villa to life, with the former causing havoc among Southampton’s defenders by running in behind, with Rogers and Tielemans possessing the quality to find him.
McGinn had a similar impact after his 85th-minute introduction, as he ensured Villa wrapped up the points with a more convincing scoreline after Asensio’s off-day from the spot.
Villa now gear up for the crucial second leg against PSG at Villa Park, with fellow top-five challengers Newcastle United their next Premier League opponents, with so much still to play for.
Club reports
Southampton report | Villa report
What the managers said
Unai Emery: "We respect them [Southampton]. The first half we didn't concede transitions. We were dominating but we didn't have many chances to score. The second half the gameplan was the same and with the fast players we can add to try and push more and more we did. It was a fantastic 90 minutes. The subs had a very good impact."
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Key facts
Villa have claimed four consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since a run of five in March/April 2023, while they’ve won three successive away matches without conceding in the competition for the first time since November 2020.
Southampton have lost 26 of their 32 matches in the Premier League this season (W2 D4), their most defeats across a single season in the top four tiers.
Asensio became just the fourth player to miss two penalties in a Premier League game, after Juan Pablo Angel v Fulham in February 2005, Darren Bent v Tottenham Hotspur in April 2010 and Saido Berahino v Watford in April 2016.
