MINGS HAS LAST WORD
Watford are rocked by Villa’s late decider
TYRONE MINGS scored last-gasp goal to give Villa massive relegation leg-up.
Ezri Konsa’s shot deflected in off team-mate Mings in the fifth minute of injury time after Pepe Reina had launched a free-kick into the penalty area in a thrilling finish at Villa Park.
How big will that goal prove come the end of the season? Who knows – but it took fighting Villa out of the bottom three.
For a long time it looked like it was going to be the latest edition of Troy Story as Watford set themselves up for another life-saving victory
It is not just Troy Deeney’s goals that make Villa fans bristle – just about everything about him rubs them up the wrong way.
The striker, a Brummie born and bred, is a lifelong supporter of Villa’s arch rivals Birmingham. He even has a tattoo to prove his allegiance inked on his calf, and when he hits the net against Villa he does not mind showing his delight.
He scored two against them in the 3-0 win at Vicarage Road a month ago and this one made it six in four games against the old enemy. He helped himself to three in the season Villa went down five years ago.
Deeney pounced in the 38th minute with an unstoppable header after Villa had been split open down their left flank.
Gerard Deulofeu made full use of time and space to put in an inch-perfect cross to where Deeney was waiting just six yards out to score with a bullet header.
He raced behind the net to taunt his enemies with a mock pained “Ooh that must hurt” expression, which was never going to go down well.
One or two idiots hurled coins at him, but in fairness to Deeney he did not react. In the 56th minute he so nearly grabbed a second when he seized on a loose ball after Reina had parried a Deulofeu shot.
Deeney got his shot away, but not with quite as much power as he would have liked and Reina managed to block it with his legs.
Villa – desperate to claw their way out of the relegation places – stuck to their task admirably and got their reward when substitute Douglas Luiz equalised in the 68th minute. Jack Grealish set it up with a neat pass out to Matt Targett and, when the fullback fired in a leftfoot shot, Ben Foster could only parry it out at full stretch.
Luiz spotted his chance, pulled back his left foot and hammered in a blistering shot. Then it was up to Mings to have the final say.
ASTON VILLA (3-5-2): Reina 7; Hause 6, Mings 7, Konsa 8; Guilbert 5, Nakamba 5, Grealish 8, Drinkwater 7 (Luiz 56, 7), Targett 6; Trezeguet 6 (Vassilev 76), El Ghazi 6. Goals: Douglas Luiz 68, Mings 90.
WATFORD (4-2-3-1): Foster 7; Mariappa 6, Dawson 7, Cathcart 7, Masina 6; Chalobah 6 (Pussetto 73), Capoue 7; Pereyra 6, Doucoure 6, Deulofeu 7 (Kabasele 90); Deeney 8. Goal: Deeney 38.