Relax... Ollie can shine if Harry’s out

OLLIE WATKINS has shot to the front of the queue of English strikers waiting to fill in for Harry Kane should the worst happen, once again underlining his credentials with a fantastic brace to help see off Luton. Watkins has taken his game to new heights this season and Unai Emery has undoubtedly been key to that progression. Saturday’s win saw him net his 35th goal in 63 games under the former Arsenal boss, one every 1.8 games, with an assist every 3.9. For reference, Steven Gerrard’s tenure saw him score just one in every 3.9 outings and assist once every 9.75 games. Call it the Emery effect. It is not just his goals, though. Against Luton he held up the ball brilliantly while showcasing his electric pace to get in behind time and time again. The two goals he scored — a thumping header into the top corner and a confident finish one-on-one past keeper Thomas Kaminski — highlight the threat he poses from all areas. You simply cannot keep him out. Defender Ezri Konsa, who returned from injury and is another player with England ambitions, hailed Villa’s mentality after they saw off a spirited Luton fightback. ‘I feel like, with us, our mentality has really changed,’ he told Villa TV. ‘We didn’t let it faze us. I think when they scored their second goal, you can see the boss on the side trying to calm us down and I’m trying to do the same. ‘I think we believe as a squad that, no matter the result, we can come back and that’s what we did here. We showed fight, we showed togetherness and we got the three points in the end.’ Luton manager Rob Edwards disagreed with the suggestion his team had sacrificed one point in the pursuit of three towards the end. He said: ‘I didn’t think we took any unnecessary risks. It’s not in our nature, at home especially, to sit and take it unless we’re getting forced to do that.’ LUTON TOWN (3-4-2-1): Kaminski 6.5; Mengi 7, Burke 6, Bell 6 (Ogbene 5min, 6.5); Kabore 7, Clark 5.5, Barkley 7.5, Doughty 6; Townsend 5.5 (Hashioka 53, 6), Chong 7 (Mpanzu 84); Morris 7.5. Scorers: Chong 66, Morris 72. Booked: Burke. Manager: Rob Edwards 7. ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Martinez 6; Cash 6, Konsa 6.5, Lenglet 6, Moreno 6 (Digne 79); Bailey 6.5 (Diaby 79), McGinn 6.5, Luiz 7, Ramsey (Rogers 29, 6.5 (Iroegbunam 79); Tielemans 5.5 (Zaniolo 79), WATKINS 8. Scorers: Watkins 24, 38, Digne 89. Booked: Luiz, Bailey, Rogers, Zaniolo. Manager: Unai Emery 7.5. Referee: Michael Oliver 6.5. Attendance: 11,594.