Olly Watkins' An 85th minute goal proved the difference in west London. Photo: Reuters/Peter Ciborra
Ollie Watkins singled out a Brentford fan for verbally abusing him 'the whole game' after celebrating a winning goal sparked a brawl following the Aston Villa striker's return to his former club.
The England striker accused one fan of being abusive comments towards him which Telegraph Sport understands were directed at his family, while others booed him despite his move to Villa in 2020 going off on good terms — that the Brentford head coach Thomas Frank admitted that he “couldn’t.” I don’t understand.”
«It was a bit of a cheeky game, it was all about me celebrating, but it wasn't a lack of respect for the fans,» Watkins said after several players from both teams were involved in two separate brawls following the 85th-minute win.< /p>
“I love the club, the players and the staff, I can’t say a bad word about them. But there was one person who insulted me throughout the game, the celebration was addressed not to someone else, but directly to him.
«[Thomas Frank] asked me why I celebrated so much, I still correspond with him, but it was for this reason.
«I feel that I have done so much for the club and they are so did a lot for me. Football is football and you can have a little banter, but not when it's personal. If the club doesn't believe me, that's their business, but I explained it to Thomas and he knows I wouldn't do it without a reason. This got me excited and this is what happened.”
A red mist descended as the game suddenly went to one tackle. By the 71st minute of a thrilling encounter, Brentford were 1-0 up and heading towards victory over in-form Villa, who were title contenders, when Ben Mee headed home Leon Bailey. Referee David Coote awarded a yellow card, but Var intervened and the yellow card was soon replaced with a red card.
The match became hectic after Ben Mee's red card in the second half. Photo: PA Wire/Jonathan Brady
Brentford head coach Frank came onto the pitch to complain and was booked himself. “It wasn’t red,” he insisted. «Do we want a physical contact sport or not?»
Six minutes later Villa equalized when Leon Bailey crossed deep and, distracted by Jacob Ramsey, Mads Roerslev failed to see Alex Moreno go close and header wide Mark Flekken and scored the Spaniard's first goal in the Premier League.
And just eight minutes later Villa won it when Boubacar Camara headed in a Ramsey corner and Watkins headed home to give his side their first win in these parts since 1947. Then the madness began.
Ollie is a man of the highest integrity,” Frank said. «I couldn't understand why the fans booed him.»
«I can't explain what happened,» Villa manager Unai Emery said. «I do not understand this. I thought (Ezri) Konsa scored.”
The game, which was seething with tension even before Mi's removal, turned into two powerful hand-to-hand fights in which almost all the players participated. Coot let them explode before handing out a few yellow cards.
Neal Maupay, who was denied a penalty after being taken out by Emiliano Martinez, was booked for idiotically pouncing on the Argentine goalkeeper when the ball was within range of their pair and was taken out of the game. Moments later, Martinez responded in kind. Maupay remained lying there, openly expressing his anger. Another blow followed, during which Kamara pushed Yegor Yarmolyuk and was sent off. Villa head coach Emery attempted to calm Martinez down and became the second head coach to be booked.
After Watkins' punch, a fight broke out outside gate winner Photo: Reuters/Hannah Mackay
“I tried to reassure my players,” Emery said. “Emiliano was absent a bit. Tomorrow we will talk to the players about what happened when we lost control.»
“I didn’t like what happened at the end of the game,” Frank complained. “Head coaches, fans and players need to show more class.
In parallel with the wrestling, a magnificent football match took place. Beating Manchester City and Arsenal in four blistering days was a clear statement of Villa's intent, but titles and Champions League places are largely secured by cutting down more mundane trees like Brentford. Brentford seemed to have the answers to questions that had proved too much for Arsenal and City.
Villa arrived with the understandable swagger of a team unbeaten since Bonfire Night and they romped to win a series of early corners. to their left, where Roerslev struggled to hold off Moreno's fast and furious strikes.
Unlike many of their peers, Brentford found a way to contain Villa. They defended deep and, in the face of Villa's insistent pressing, softly shuffled, turning their back three into a quintet, while the excellent Christian Nørgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard plugged the holes in midfield that Villa like to exploit more deftly than Arsenal and Manchester City.
The game soon became a roller coaster. Long before Martinez and Maupay met, Brentford could have been awarded an early penalty when John McGinn tackled Mee to the ground.
Then, when fourth official Simon Hooper raised the first-half stoppage time board, Brentford took the lead. Saman Ghoddos sends a left-footed shot into the corner. It bounced off the goal from Watkins' hand. Moreno looked set to clear the ball, but as he swung his left foot, Keane Lewis-Potter struck from behind to score his first league goal since joining from Hull City at the start of last season.
Until Mi scored a goal. Brentford's dismissal looked, if not safe, then increasingly comfortable as time went on, but with Mee's departure the game was turned on its head.
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