Aston Villa back in Champions League as Ollie Watkins double sinks Liverpool

Aston Villa secured a Champions League place by beating Liverpool 3-1 at Villa Park, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring via a well-worked corner routine before Virgil van Dijk equalised. Ollie Watkins then scored twice and captain John McGinn added a fourth to complete the rout, exposing Liverpool's set-piece vulnerability — the worst in the league with 20 goals conceded from dead balls this season. The result comes just days before Villa's Europa League final, while Liverpool were hampered by nine absentees including Mohamed Salah, who could only play a few minutes.