But Nicolas Kuhn and Yang Hyun-Jun got into their attacking stride and Adam Idah – who’s had a watching brief for so much of the season – stepped up in an impressive way following Kyogo Furuhashi’s departure for Rennes this week.
His pace, power and movement caused a Villa backline that hadn’t conceded a goal at home in the Champions League this season real problems. He manoeuvred his body brilliantly like a prime Oliver Giroud to divert Greg Taylor’s deflected cross past Emi Martinez before drawing his side level two minutes later.
The second was all about the build-up as Arne Engels’ delightful flick found Reo Hatate, who put the ball across the six-yard box for Idah to steal a march on his marker and fire home. It was a brilliant and breathless game which bared no resemblance to the tight, tactical affair Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers had hoped for, with the hell-for-leather madness going up a notch in the second half, when the focus narrowed in on the man Arsenal want to lead their line.
Aston Villa were ‘furious’ with the Arsenal approach, and it was a bit of a d*ck move. Not because they’ve made a bid for Watkins, who didn’t magically turn up at Villa after all, but because making the bid so close to arguably Villa’s biggest game of the season is hardly going to ease negotiations.
In the space of about ten minutes, Watkins scored after both Rogers and John McGinn put their bodies about in a brilliant counter-attacking move, then missed a penalty in true John-Terry-2008-style having won it himself, saw one effort brilliantly saved by Schmeichel after a terrible pass from the goalkeeper, and then another blocked by the Celtic stopper when he really should have done better.
Watkins’ battle with Auston Trusty was hugely absorbing and prompted Neil Lennon to comment on his excellent hold-up play and physicality, which amounts to him being “a brilliant striker”, and those qualities were very apparent, particularly when his pressing forced the late mistake to gift Rogers his hat-trick.
But we wonder whether the Arsenal bosses supposedly preparing an improved bid after their initial £60m offer may look at his six shots – all of them from positions you would hope a top striker to score from – and try their luck elsewhere.
Kai Havertz (-0.9) is closer to his xG than Watkins (-2.0) in the Premier League this season, and doubts over his signing should be based more on that failing than his 29 years, which as the Arsenal fans desperate for a forward addition this month have been at pains to point out is a year older than Ian Wright when he joined the club. Also the same age as Danny Ings when he joined Villa, but whatever.
That profligacy should also be a concern for Villa, who will likely now rebuff any sort of offer for Watkins from Arsenal anyway, with Jhon Duran on the verge of a very Jhon Duran move with a medical booked for Thursday ahead of a £64m transfer to Al Nassr. He was seen joking on the bench and after the game; we’re not sure we’ve ever seen him look happier.
Villa would do well to spend some if not all of that cash on a new forward more adept at finishing good chances than Ollie Watkins after another game in which he undoubtedly displayed his worth to the team, but in a very similar More Than Goals way to how Havertz is excused at Arsenal. If Arteta wants goals, Watkins probably isn’t the answer.
But on a landmark night for Villa he was again pivotal, and in Rogers he’s got quite the ally in attack to cause any side problems, not in February when those lesser teams fight for the pleasure to play in the last 16, but in March, when The Big Boys join the knockout party.
