ASTON VILLA SECURE HISTORIC WINNING STREAK: OLLIE WATKINS PRIMED FOR GOAL-SCORING BLITZ AGAINST CHELSEA
Ollie Watkins is "primed" for a scoring spree as 3rd-place Villa prepare for crunch games at Chelsea and Arsenal.
Ollie Watkins, the England striker, seems ready to score a bunch of goals, which could really help Unai Emery's team as they try to win the Premier League.
Let's be honest, this Premier League season hasn't been that exciting so far.
One of the teams in the top five might get on a really good run in the second half of the season, but I doubt it. Arsenal has a lot of points, and they're tough to beat, but they're not exactly thrilling. Mikel Arteta's team works well, but Manchester City depends too much on one big Norwegian dude.
Enzo Maresca has a talented squad, but he seems too focused on messing with the Chelsea owners. Arne Slot at Liverpool has a big problem: even ignoring what will happen with Mo Salah or Alexander Isak's injury, their defence is looking shaky.
Aston Villa has already had a great run, winning seven Premier League games in a row as part of their 10 wins. Winning seven Premier League games straight IS great, but Unai Emery's team hasn't usually crushed other teams, winning most of those games by just one goal.
Some people might say that means they're due for a loss. But another way to look at it is that Villa might get even better.
For example, Watkins is likely to start scoring a lot soon. It's not like he's playing badly. This Villa team could still improve a lot.
If you care about expected goals, Villa would be 15th if that's how the Premier League was decided. That means either Villa is getting lucky, or those expected goals numbers don't mean much.
Basically, Emery has a balanced team with good players who are in their prime. He also has other guys who should become really good Premier League players, such as Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen, and Evan Guessand, when he gets back from AFCON.
It might not seem like last summer's transfers did much, but they did. By keeping guys like Emi Martinez, Watkins, and Morgan Rogers, the team has been able to build a better understanding.
This Villa team looks like they know what they're doing. They know how to handle problems during games. They're not always amazing, but they're strong and organised.
Sure, the next two games—at Chelsea and at Arsenal—will be important, but they won't decide everything. Arsenal has been great, winning 12 games, but their 39 points are still a little low for a team leading the Premier League after 17 games.
The title race is open, and Villa is a big contender. It's that simple.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.