Ollie Watkins has disclosed that his specific celebration, following his winning goal for Aston Villa against Brentford, was directed at a home supporter.
The England striker said he was being abused by the fan throughout the game and “it felt right I celebrated in front of him”.
Watkins scored 49 goals for the Bees before joining Villa in 2020. The incident in the 85th minute led to a chaotic conclusion to the match, with eight additional cards being issued, including a red card for Boubacar Kamara. Prior to this, Ben Mee had already been sent off for a mistimed tackle.
The Villa forward said: “There was one individual who was abusing me all game so it only felt right that I celebrated in front of him.
“That caused a bit of a reaction but I’m glad we got three points.
“[Thomas] Frank asked why I celebrated like that and I told him. We’re still on texting terms. Thomas knows I wouldn’t just celebrate like that.
“I feel like I’ve done so much for the club.”
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Following the game, Villa issued a statement expressing support for their star striker.
It read: “Aston Villa FC wants to express its support for Ollie Watkins and we ask the authorities to investigate this incident to find this individual.
“Zero tolerance to abuse in football.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank regretted the ill-tempered end to the game, suggesting that players on both sides were to blame.
He said: “It’s an emotional game but you show class and I don’t think there was enough in the whole game.
“I said [to my players] they gave everything, pleased with their performance and tough to take but when things are going against you, no matter, it’s important you show class.”