Ollie Watkins says he is aiming for more hat-tricks after scoring his second treble of the season in Aston Villa’s 6-1 thrashing of Brighton.
Unai Emery’s side produced a statement performance to stun the Seagulls at Villa Park, recording a 10th consecutive Premier League win on home soil.
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Villa raced into a three-goal lead inside 26 minutes, with Watkins scoring a quick-fire brace before Pervis Estupinan diverted Moussa Diaby’s shot into his own goal for the shellshocked Seagulls.
Emery’s side were all over the visitors, though Ansu Fati pulled one back for Brighton five minutes after the break. Brighton were unable to build on that lifeline however, with Watkins’ hat-trick goal ending hopes of a comeback.
Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz scored late on to add gloss to the scoreline for Villa, who moved above Brighton and into the Premier League’s top four.
Watkins – who hit a Europa Conference League hat-trick against Hibernian earlier this season – said he is targeting more match balls for Villa.
“It’s a great result against a top team in Brighton. They’re where they are in the league because they play such good football,” Watkins told BBC Match of the Day.
“It’s definitely not going to be my last [hat-trick]. It’s an unbelievable feeling to score. When I don’t score I’m annoyed, which is why I work hard every day in training.
“When I’ve got grass in front of me, I like to run into it. Moussa [Diaby] is so quick, so on the transition I definitely think we’re dangerous.
“We’ve got a style of play now that [allows us to] take control of the game. We’ve definitely got a few strings to our bow.”
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