Ollie Watkins: I told Cole Palmer he would set me up against Netherlands

Ollie Watkins said he had a premonition about the last-gasp goal that swept England into the Euro 2024 final with a dramatic comeback win over the Netherlands.

Watkins took a pass from fellow late substitute Cole Palmer and fired home from a tight angle in the 90th minute to seal a showdown with Spain on Sunday.

And the Aston Villa man praised both his team-mate and the never-say-die spirit that has taken Gareth Southgate’s side all the way against all the odds.

Watkins said on ITV: “Unbelievable. I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am now. I’m grateful I got the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands and I’m delighted.

“I swear on my life, on my kids’ lives, I said to Cole Palmer ‘We’re coming on and you’re going to set me up’ and that’s why I was so happy with Coley, I knew as soon as he got the ball he was going to play me in.

“You’ve got to be greedy, touch and shoot and when I see it going into the bottom corner it’s the best feeling ever.

“There’s been a lot of criticism but at the end of the day we’re in the final and that’s all that matters. Forget all the outside noise, we’re in the final.

“We’ve got that kind of bounce-back factor, going a goal behind seems to kick us into gear. We never give up. We’ve won on penalties and come from behind. There’s one more game now – we’re ready.”