Ollie Watkins the hero as Aston Villa leave it late against AZ Alkmaar

Aston Villa 2 AZ Alkmaar 1

Ollie Watkins is elevating his game to a higher level under Unai Emery and is unquestionably the deputy for England captain Harry Kane.

Watkins’s improvement under Emery is clear to see and he displayed his predatory instincts to take Aston Villa towards the brink of qualification for the knockout stages.

The £28 million forward was named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad earlier in the day and displayed another acute sense of timing with the winning goal nine minutes from the end.

Watkins now has ten goals for the season and, on current form, is Southgate’s first choice as the understudy behind Kane.

His deft header secured Emery his 100th victory in European competition and Villa are virtually certain of extending their Conference League campaign into next year.

Emery said: “Ollie is working very well and of course we will need every player but he keeps being consistent.

“We are trying to compete in all competitions and I am trying to pick the right players for games on Thursdays and Sundays.

“We respect this competition and we are getting better, there will be difficulties to face in Europe.”

Emery’s priority remains a top-five place to secure Champions League football next season, but he also has a proud European record to protect.

After winning the Europa League four times, his Villa team are favourites to win this competition and this victory takes them level on points with Legia Warsaw, who they face at home in their penultimate group game later this month.

Villa had blasted AZ Alkmaar away last month, winning 4-1 to spark their European campaign into life, yet this was a far more frustrating affair.

Clement Lenglet had a third-minute goal incorrectly disallowed for offside by the Var referee and Villa fell behind early in the second half.

It was a brutally simple goal, with Villa’s defensive high line again exposed with a ball over the top, and forward Vangelis Pavlidis advanced into the area before sweeping a low shot into the corner.

Villa were level on the hour, with defender Diego Carlos nodding in his first goal for the club from Leon Bailey’s corner.

AZ’s players were furious, disputing the corner and arguing that a goal kick should have been awarded after Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara lifted his shot over the bar.

Villa were now in control and it was Watkins who made the decisive contribution, running onto substitute Douglas Luiz’s clever pass to head the ball across AZ Alkmaar’s goalkeeper Mat Ryan and into the corner.

Villa probably need only one more point to secure their path to next year’s knockout stages, and with Watkins in this form anything is possible.

Match details

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez 6; Konsa 6 (Cash 74), Carlos 7 (Torres 90), Lenglet 5, Digne 6; Kamara 7, Tielemans 7 (Douglas Luiz 74); Bailey 6 (Traore 90), McGinn 6, Diaby 5 (Zaniolo 74); Watkins 6. Substitutes Olsen (g), Marschall (g), Moreno, Chambers, Duran, Dendoncker.

AZ Alkmaar (4-3-3): Ryan 6; Sugawara 7, Bazoer 6, Martins Indi 7, Moller Wolfe 6; Clasie 7 (Dantas 88), De Wit 6 (Mihailovic 69), Mijnans 7 (Odgaard 88); Sadiq 5 (Poku 69), Pavlidis 7, Van Bommel 6 (Van Brederode 69). Substitutes Verhulst (g), Deen (g), Penetra, Dekker, Goudmijn, Kasius, Goes.