What Jhon Duran did in the tunnel after Aston Villa's 4-2 win as Arsenal transfer talk ignored
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa served up one more memorable night under the lights at Villa Park against Celtic on Wednesday as they booked their place in the Champions League round of 16 via an eighth-placed finish in the league phase.
It was a frantic game at times as Morgan Rogers’ two goals in the opening five minutes were cancelled out by Adam Idah’s brace between the 36th and 38th minute. Villa then restored their lead on the hour mark through Ollie Watkins, who scored his first Champions League goal.
Then, after being denied a second on the night, Watkins won a penalty at the Holte End but slipped over before making contact with the ball. There was enough time for Rogers to cap his performance with his third strike to claim the match ball in second half added time.
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Here are the talking points from Villa’s win…
Villa ignore outside noise to get the job done
The build-up to the match was dominated by transfer talk, not the mammoth game ahead. Watkins was the subject of a £60m bid from Arsenal on Monday, which was turned down, but it was only leaked to the media hours before kick-off on Wednesday night.
Villa faced something similar last week when news of a West Ham bid for Jhon Duran was known on the night before their game against AS Monaco. But a move from Arsenal for Watkins had the potential to be even more unsettling, especially considering doubts around Duran’s future too.
As it turned out, Duran was named in the squad despite having a medical booked in London on Thursday ahead of joining Al-Nassr. The Saudi Pro League side are set to complete a deal for the 21-year-old striker in a deal worth £65m plus add-ons.
Watkins, however, showed no signs of being unsettled or that his head had been turned by Arsenal as he played a key role in Villa’s win, and - as he so often does - ran himself into the ground for the cause. He scored the goal which put Villa back in the lead in the second half while also assisting twice.
Watkins did miss a couple of chances and fluffed his lines from the penalty spot, but his all-round game was superb. He might not dispatch every chance that he gets, yet at the end of a season, his numbers are tremendous. It speaks volumes of his mentality.
After full-time, Watkins posted on Instagram: “Buzzing to qualify in the Top 8 of the Champions League. Special night for this special club. Groundsman is getting the sack,” along with a laughing emoji.
Duran says his goodbyes ahead of Saudi switch
Provided that Duran passes his medical on Thursday ahead of joining Al-Nassr, his career at Villa is now over. Really, it's a great shame that the special moments he gave Villa fans only came in the space of months. The Colombia international would have gone on to become the top striker he was destined to blossom into under Emery, but he wanted to leave.
Maybe he will still realise his staggering potential, though it certainly feels like going to the Saudi Pro League is a waste of his talent, even if he only spends a couple of seasons there.
Much has been said about Duran's character and immaturity on the training pitch, but you never saw him walk past a mascot without giving them a high five or involving them in the warm-up before kick-off, while he often threw his shirt or jacket into the crowd.
Duran certainly went a long way to making up for throwing up the Hammers sign before the start of the season when he fired in the winner at the London Stadium before also bagging crucial winners early on in the campaign, including against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
After Villa's win over Celtic and watching his teammates celebrate progressing into the round of 16, Duran was seen in the tunnel giving gifts to Villa staff members, according to TNT Sports. He will now prepare for a new chapter playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh.
Rogers: Definitely the highlight of my career so far
It was a special night for Villa, but particularly for Rogers. This felt like the game in which he announced himself on the European stage.
In fact, he became the first player in Champions League history to score twice in the opening five minutes of a fixture. He also chose the perfect time to score the first club hat-trick of his career.
“Definitely the highlight of my career so far,” Rogers admitted. “It's a crazy experience and a crazy game to be a part of. It's a massive achievement and we should be proud of ourselves.”
Asked about his Champions League record, Rogers said: "It's something we had to address starting games behind and giving ourselves a mountain to climb. Still something to work on but the good start is something to put us on the right foot.
"I felt we were on top for the large majority. We scored two goals and that's what changed the game. We are a bit shorthanded at the back at the moment. We got the win.
"We had to dig deep, we know we can, we do it in the Premier League every week. We thoroughly deserve it. We've got the hunger and the drive and we've got a manager who pushes us every day."
Villa's Champions League run-in
Villa can look forward to the round of 16 at the start of March after managing to bypass a two-legged knockout play-off next month having finished in the top eight of the league phase table.
Emery’s side will play one of Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Atalanta or Club Brugge in the round of 16. The draw for the knockout phase play-off draw takes place from 11am on Friday.
If Villa then advance through to the quarter-finals, they’ll then take on either Liverpool or Barcelona. While that’s in the future, Emery and his players will be delighted to have booked their place in the last 16 of the competition and also refocus on their domestic campaign.
A trip to Wolves awaits on Saturday and Villa could be without Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash after the right-back appeared to suffer a lower leg injury on Wednesday.
