Ollie Watkins’ late first-half goal was all it took for Aston Villa to secure a critical three points for their hopes of a Champions League return, as the Villans toppled Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
WATCH — Bournemouth v Aston Villa
The three points puts Villa on 63 points, the same as Newcastle and Chelsea before those fourth- and fifth-place teams meet Sunday in Northeast England.
Bournemouth’s 53 points are now only good enough for 10th on the table after Brentford and Brighton both won Saturday.
For live updates and highlights throughout Bournemouth vs Aston Villa, check out PST’s live blog coverage below…
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
Bournemouth have 10 days to prep for a May 20 visit to Man City, while Villa are back at it this Friday versus Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park.
How to watch Bournemouth vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday (May 10)
Venue: Vitality Stadium — Bournemouth
TV Channel: NBC & Peacock
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com and Stream live on Peacock
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa final score: 0-1
Ollie Watkins 45+5'
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa live updates — By Nick Mendola
Aston Villa red card!
Jacob Ramsey is on yellow and he’s made a silly challenge.
He’s off!
Bournemouth will have 10 minutes plus stoppage to try and salvage a point.
Ollie Watkins goal — Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa (45+5')
Morgan Rogers spins an inventive pass/shot toward the front post, and Watkins knifes it home.
VAR is checking for offside.
Not a half for the ages
Well over a half hour of play has yielded less than a quarter of an expected goal on three shot attempts.
The moral victory goes to Bournemouth for having two shots (Party horn sound).
Bournemouth lineup
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams, Scott; Semenyo, Evanilson, Tavernier
Aston Villa lineup
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Ramsey, Asensio, Rogers; Watkins
Bournemouth team news, focus
With Ouattara a doubt we should see Semenyo come back in to start and he has been a revelation this season. Bournemouth are so solid in midfield with USMNT skipper Tyler Adams clogging things up expertly and they are one of the most difficult teams to build up any momentum against in the league.
OUT: Luis Sinisterra (hamstring), Ryan Christie (groin), Enes Unal (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Dango Ouattara (groin)
Aston Villa team news, focus
Villa’s high defensive line could be exposed by Bournemouth’s high-pressing but it’s all about taking risks for Emery’s side as a draw probably won’t be enough in their pursuit of Champions League qualification. They have to win their final three games and with other Champions League contenders playing each other in the final weeks of the season, there’s a real chance they will qualify for the second-straight season. Marcus Rashford remains out injured, while influential midfielder Youri Tielemans is set to miss this game which is a big blow given his current form.
OUT: Marcus Rashford (muscular)
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa prediction
This will be intense and full of chances as both teams love to press high and force the issue. Expect a classic. Bournemouth 2-4 Aston Villa.
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa preview
Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth pulled off a superb comeback win at Arsenal last weekend to reignite their hopes of European qualification after a tough run. The Cherries are so difficult to play against and their high-pressing style is a joy to watch, while Evanilson, Kluivert and Semenyo have great balance in attack and are so direct. Yes, the Cherries have plenty of young stars who could leave this summer but their recruitment has been really good in recent years and they’re hoping Iraola will stick around for many years to come to oversee it all.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have regained their form in recent weeks and a narrow home win against Fulham last weekend has kept them right in the hunt for Champions League qualification. After this game against Bournemouth they face Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, both of whom will likely be fully-focused on a Europa League final. That is a great situation for Villa to finish the season with six points out of six but they need a win at Bournemouth to really boost their hopes of a top five finish.
