Bournemouth 0–1 Aston Villa Player Ratings: Record Breaker Ollie Watkin’s 75th Premier League Goal Seals a Key Victory for Villa

Ollie Watkins' winner was the difference as Aston Villa beat Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium to keep their Champions League dream alive. There was virtually nothing to choose between the sides in the first half, as there was very little action near the goals. Aston Villa forced the issues as Kepa produced a brilliant double save. Ollie Watkins was on target just before the break with the finest of touches on a Morgan Rogers cross. It was his 75th-minute strike for the club in the Premier League, making him the all-time highest goalscorer for them. The Villans managed to see the second half out with a terrific defensive performance despite being down to 10 in the final 10 minutes to condemn the hosts to a non-European finish in their high-flying season.

Bournemouth were buzzing after that away victory against Arsenal in the league. They needed nothing less than three points to stay in the hunt for European spots. Andoni Iraola surprisingly benched starman Patrick Kluivert as he went with Alex Scott in the number 10 role. Dango Ouattara missed the game through an injury, as the hero from the previous game, Antoine Semenyo, came back in.

Aston Villa were still reeling after crashing out of the FA Cup and the Champions League in quick succession. However, there was no breathing room as they had to win all their games and hope for a favour from other teams to make it to the Champions League again. Unai Emery rang the changes as five players came into the lineup, including Marco Asensio and Tyrone Mings.

The game had a slow start as Aston Villa settled into their shape. Their matchup against Bournemouth's high press posed an intriguing scenario. Unai Emery's side responded by ceding the ball and allowing Bournemouth to build up from the back. This tactic worked well for the visitors as Jacob Ramsey curled a shot wide on the break.

The hosts failed to create clear-cut chances as Aston Villa showed good resistance. Evanilson's header from Alex Scott's cross that deflected off Tyrone Mings was the closest they came to scoring. Neither keeper had anything to do in the first half as there was an appalling lack of intensity in the fixture. Marco Asensio threatened to open the scoring for his side as he cut onto his left foot before firing a drilled shot that bounced out after striking the post.

This inspired Aston Villa to create chances late in the first half. Lucas Digne swung in a lovely cross as Kepa Arrizabalaga reacted with a fantastic double save. First, he parried Boubacar Kamara's goal-bound header and then reacted quickly to save Matty Cash's follow-up header. It was a sign of things to come as Ollie Watkins opened the scoring deep into the stoppage time in the first half.

Antoine Semenyo lost the ball recklessly in a dangerous position while trying to skill his way out. Morgan Rogers took full advantage of that and fired in a lovely cross for Watkins, who got a deft touch on it to redirect into the back of the net. Despite being out of the game for large periods, Watkins came to life at the right moment to become Aston Villa's all-time Premier League top scorer. It gave Aston Villa a precious half-time lead to protect.

Andoni Iraola brought on Kluivert at halftime to correct his mistake. The Dutchman immediately received a cut back and came close to equalising. Kluivert and Semenyo linked up well but were never really troubling Aston Villa's defence. Emery's low blocks are very hard to crack, and Bournemouth learned it the hard way. They failed to have a proper shot on target in the second half, showing an appalling lack of goal threat.

Ramsey, who was booked in the first half, committed a silly challenge in the 80th minute on David Brooks. It reduced the visitors to 10 as the referee produced an easy second yellow card. Ramsey's moment of madness allowed the Cherries to have a dominating end to the game and also gave them a chance of grabbing an equaliser. However, Aston Villa were brilliant in defending their lead as they put their bodies on the line as Martinez denied Semenyo late on in the game, and Daniel Jebbison missed the rebound.

Aston Villa registered a crucial victory as they kept their faint hopes of a Champions League finish alive. They will be praying for a favour from elsewhere and also win their two games. They host Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night in the league. Bournemouth, meanwhile, failed to make the momentum from the Arsenal game count as they lost uninspiringly again. A late-season slump nearly made European qualification impossible for them. They are away to Manchester City after having the next weekend off. Here are the Bournemouth vs Aston Villa Player Ratings.

Bournemouth Player Ratings vs Aston Villa

GK - Kepa Arrizabalaga-7/10

Produced a fantastic double save to keep out Kamara and Cash. He could only scramble across the goal as Watkins deposited it in the inside side netting.

RB - Adam Smith -6/10

Made his 400th club appearance for Bournemouth. Did his defensive duties well against Ramsey, but his age showed at times as he was overrun and earned a yellow card.

CB - Illia Zabarnayi-7/10

Was guilty of leaving Watkins goallside for the first goal. Failed to put pressure on the striker. Did fine otherwise in his tackles and duels.

CB - Dean Huijsen-7/10

The Spaniard received the license to step up from the defensive line thanks to his ball-playing abilities. Fired in an excellent cross that was whiskers away from a teammate. Played Watkins onside for the first goal.

LB - Milos Kerkez-7/10

Another impressive outing from the Hungarian, who put in an equally exciting performance in attack and defence. His final ball was slightly off mark, though.

DM - Tyler Adams-6.5/10

Screened the defence and saw a lot of the ball in the initial stages of the ball. Kept it simple rather than trying for creative choices.

DM - Lewis Cook-5/10

He was given a ragged time on the field by Aston Villa's powerhouse Amadou Onana. His impact in the final third was non-existent, and defensively, he was paper-thin at times.

RW - Marcus Tavernier-6/10

Received the ball on the right and charged at the defence. Failed to make a sizable impact as Digne successfully locked him up.

CAM - Alex Scott-6/10

Had a collision with Tyrone Mings that left him on the pitch needing treatment. Shook off those fears to carry on. Jumped into a few ill-timed tackles and was carded. Made way for Kluivert at half-time.

LW - Antoine Semenyo-4.5/10

Made an amateur mistake as he tried multiple skills instead of clearing the ball inside his half in the build-up to the first goal. Looked lively in attack once Kluivert came on.

ST - Evanilson-6/10

He was just a passenger in the game as Bournemouth failed to create chances for him. Had a half a chance that didn't trouble Emiliano Martinez.

Sub - Justin Kluivert-6/10

Surprisingly benched in the first place, no surprise that he came on midway as his side chased an equaliser. Had loads of good ideas, but they never materialised.

Sub - David Brooks-6/10

Sub - Marcos Senesi-6/10

Sub - Julian Araujo-6/10

Sub - Daniel Jebbison-6/10

Failed to score from three yards out on a rebound.

Manager - Andoni Iraola-4/10

The Spaniard's side is known for their high-press and intensity, but they failed to bring either to the party here. Despite dominating the ball, the chance creation was minimal. He brought on Kluivert to fix that issue, but it was too late as Aston Villa became too comfortable.

Aston Villa Player Ratings vs Bournemouth

GK - Emiliano Martinez-7.5/10

A kind deflection from Tyrone Mings fell his way in the first half as Bournemouth failed to test him. Put on a stellar show after going down to 10 with claims and punches.

RB - Matty Cash-5/10

Had a follow-up header that was well-saved by Kepa. Made light work of Semenyo as he stood his ground instead of falling for trickery.

CB - Ezri Konsa-6.5/10

Not his finest outing, but not his worst outing by any stretch, either. Tagged along with Evanilson to make sure he gets no service.

CB - Tyrone Mings-7.5/10

Breathed a sigh of relief as the ball went straight to Martinez after it hit him. Commanded the backline excellently as he showed how good he can be with a run of games again.

LB - Lucas Digne-7.5/10

He was rooted in the defensive half as Bournemouth dominated the ball early on. But once he got the chance to go forward, he wreaked havoc with his gracious corsses.

DM - Boubacar Kamara-6.5/10

Put in a performance where he was close to the goal. Had an excellent downward header saved by Kepa and struck the post early on in the second half.

DM - Amadou Onana-7.5/10

His pace and power simply made him unstoppable on the field for Bournemouth's midfield. Their only way of answering was to take him down multiple times.

RW - Morgan Rogers-7/10

Barely got a chance to show his creativity and then produced a great cross to register the assist. Showed he can play anywhere across the front line to the highest level.

CAM - Marco Asensio-6.5/10

His goalless run nearly came to an end as he hit the post with a well-taken left-footed effort. His set pieces, which are more threatening, failed to hit the target today.

LW - Jacob Ramsey-4/10

Had a great chance to put his side up early in the game, but skied his effort. Got into a heated spat with Lewis Cook following a rough tackle from the defender. Made another silly error to be sent off late in the game.

ST - Ollie Watkins-8.5/10

The quality of any great striker is to be alive in the box to sniff out any chance. Watkins was starved of service for long, but when a delicious cross came in, he glanced it towards goal to become the club's highest Premier League goal scorer.

Sub - Pau Torres-6/10

Sub - John McGinn-6/10

Sub - Ian Maatsen- N/A

Manager - Unai Emery-7/10

His decision to rotate so many key players looked puzzling as his side struggled clearly in the first half. However, the quality on the pitch shone as Ollie Watkins came to the party. Once they took the lead, it was hard to imagine them giving it up.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match goes to Ollie Watkins.