Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said his players would have “a lot of belief” after they scored an injury-time winner to beat Watford and move out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Ezri Konsa’s shot deflected in off team-mate Tyrone Mings in the 95th minute after Pepe Reina had launched a free-kick into the penalty area in a thrilling finish at Villa Park.

Troy Deeney had put the Hornets in front when he powerfully headed home from five yards out after Gerard Deulofeu’s cross from the right.

Deeney almost grabbed a second but was denied by an excellent reaction stop from home goalkeeper Reina.

That save proved crucial as Douglas Luiz equalised when he smashed a loose ball into the net after Ben Foster had parried Matt Targett’s effort, before the late winner.

The victory takes Villa up from 18th to 16th while Watford, who lost for the first time in eight matches in all competitions, drop into the bottom three and are now 19th after being 17th before the match.

Villa, who won the Championship play-off final in May to return to the Premier League, now have 25 points from 24 games with 14 league matches to go.

“I thought it was a good performance,” said Smith. “We dominated the first half and were unfortunate to go a goal down as they scored with their first attack.

“But the lads showed plenty of endeavour, kept pushing and got the result tonight. It’s a big win, we know there are big games to come and every game is tough.

“It does give the players a lot of belief. Teams of mine finish the season better and I’m expecting a better points haul in the second half.”

Mings admits he feared red card

Konsa, who thought he had scored the winner having been originally credited with the goal, joked he was “absolutely devastated” when told after the match it had been given to England international Mings.

However, Watford will feel the centre-half was lucky to still be on the pitch at the end.

Mings had been booked just before half-time for a late challenge on Abdoulaye Doucoure and was then penalised for a deliberate handball in the second half, although the ball had hit him at close range with his arms by his side.

Referee Martin Atkinson awarded a free-kick but did not show Mings a second yellow card with the matter not going to the video assistant referee.

“Everyone has an opinion on whether Mings should have been sent off - it doesn’t matter what I think,” said Watford boss Nigel Pearson.

“You could see how incensed our players were but we’re in the hands of the officials to get these decisions right on the field. It’s happened and we can’t change it.”

Mings also admitted he was worried he was going to be shown a red card.

He said: “I was concerned, I’m not going to lie. The decision went our way. If they had sent me off I couldn’t have had too many arguments.”

Watford’s ‘reality check’

For Watford, this was only the second defeat since Pearson took over in December following the sacking of Quique Sanchez Flores, and Pearson described the result as a “reality check”.

After a quiet opening, Watford provided the first bit of quality in the match in the 38th minute as Deulofeu got free down the right and his chipped ball into the middle was met by Deeney’s powerful close-range header, which gave Reina no chance.

They should have doubled their lead before the break as Deulofeu found himself one-on-one but, from a tight angle, could only shoot into the side netting, before Reina made an excellent save to deny Deeney.

Villa were playing without a recognised striker for the fourth successive match as the signing of Mbwana Samatta, who joined on Monday in a £10m deal from Belgian side Genk, was not completed in time.

Their lack of cutting edge was shown in the opening 45 minutes as Anwar El Ghazi, playing as a makeshift centre-forward, curled an effort well over the bar from the edge of the penalty area with their only effort of note.

They at least created opportunities at the beginning of the second half, although Kortney Hause, Ezri Konsa and Trezeguet all missed chances when well placed and Targett could only head straight at Foster.

However, Luiz, who had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes, equalised when Jack Grealish released Targett and his effort was pushed into Luiz’s path.

Villa had the majority of possession from then on as they pinned Watford back and pushed for a winner, which they got with practically the last kick of the game.

Man of the match - Marvelous Nakamba (Aston Villa)

Marvelous Nakamba provided a vital defensive shield in Aston Villa’s midfield as he made two tackles, two clearances, gained possession 11 times, had a pass completion rate of 82% and won 60% of his duels
---
*The Guardian*
*Tuesday, 21 January 2020*

Aston Villa haul themselves out of bottom three with late win over Watford

Tyrone Mings’s last-gasp winner lifted Aston Villa out of the relegation zone and ended Watford’s revival in dramatic style. The defender grabbed a fortunate deflection on Ezri Konsa’s shot in the fifth minute of stoppage time with virtually the last touch of the game to snatch victory.

Douglas Luiz had earlier come off the bench to level in the second half, just as Villa looked like they would be plunged into further trouble. That cancelled out Troy Deeney’s opener as Watford’s six-match unbeaten run in the league was ended

Villa’s third victory in 11 Premier League outings moved them up to 16th and two points clear of the teams in the relegation zone, while Watford slipped back into the bottom three.

“We have to keep concentrating on the next game. The next one in the Premier League is against Bournemouth, another team below us,” said the Villa manager, Dean Smith.

“Catching the teams above you and overtaking them, that’s the players’ job at the moment. Teams of mine finish the season better and I’m expecting a better points haul in the second half.

“It’s the biggest win at this moment because it’s the latest one. We have to concentrate on each game. With Watford being around us and giving us a good hiding at their place I said before the game it would be a different Villa team they faced. It was an important one because Villa Park is an important place for us in this league.”

The defeat put a dent in Watford’s revival, Nigel Pearson having hauled them off the bottom of the table. They looked like continuing their run when Deeney gave them the lead seven minutes before the break, heading in Gerard Deulofeu’s cross.

Pepe Reina’s save denied Deeney a second after the break and Douglas Luiz levelled after 68 minutes, following up after Ben Foster parried Matt Targett’s shot.

Villa snatched victory in injury time when, after Watford failed to deal with a deep free-kick, the ball ran to Konsa and his strike clipped Mings on the ground and found the corner.

Konsa had the news broken to him on live television that he was not to be credited with the goal. He joked he was “heartbroken”, while Mings added: “The three points is the most important thing but once you’ve got the three points, it’s also nice to score!”

Watford are now second bottom, in the relegation zone on goal difference.