Ollie Watkins slipped as he stepped up to take a penalty in a bizarre moment that left the Aston Villa star red-faced. The forward, who has been linked with Arsenal, scuffed his spot-kick after winning it himself in Villa’s 4-2 Champions League victory over Celtic at Villa Park.
Watkins was fouled by former Gunners defender Auston Trusty. The 29-year-old, who had already scored in the game, stepped forward to take the penalty.
However, as he went to strike the ball with his right foot, his left foot slipped on the wet surface and made contact with the ball. He continued to kick the ball with his right, sending the ball high into the Holte End.
Referee Clement Turpin awarded an indirect free-kick to Celtic. That is because players cannot strike the ball twice while taking a penalty. Watkins inadvertently kicked the ball twice, once with his slipping left foot and then with his right.
The embarrassing moment brought Watkins right back down to earth grimacing as he then rose to his feet. Only seven minutes earlier, the England international had been celebrating the first Champions League goal of his career.
Jacob Ramsey’s squared pass was swept into the net by Watkins. He ran to the corner flag to calmly soak in the atmosphere after putting Villa 3-2 ahead, with little hint over his future.
Wide-ranging reports claim that Arsenal made an opening offer for Watkins ahead of Villa’s final league phase game in Europe. The offer was rejected but the Gunners are said to be considering making an improved bid.
Watkins, who is a boyhood Arsenal fan and has previously described the Emirates Stadium as a ‘dream’ transfer destination, has been in exceptional form over the past two seasons. He bagged 27 goals across all competitions last term, including 19 in the Premier League. His goals helped Villa qualify for the Champions League.
The former Brentford star has continued scoring at a prolific rate in the current campaign. His goal against Celtic was his 11th of 2024-25, with the other 10 all coming in the Premier League.
Morgan Rogers struck a hat-trick to help Villa qualify automatically for the Champions League knockout phase. The midfielder scored twice inside the opening five minutes to put the Villans into an excellent position. However, Celtic star Adam Idah’s brace pegged Villa back to 2-2.
Watkins put Villa ahead again before he set up Rogers to complete his hat-trick. Unai Emery’s players celebrated on the pitch after learning that they had qualified for the next round.
