OLLIE WATKINS is chasing the Golden Boot and a place in the Aston Villa pantheon by "proving the doubters wrong".
The England striker's 19th Premier League goal of the campaign and 26th in all competitions - sealed Aston Villa's superb 2-0 win at Arsenal and boosted their hopes of Champions League football next season.
Watkins is now just one goal behind Manchester City's Erling Haaland in the race for the most coveted footwear in the game.
And he is also just one goal away from matching Peter Withe, the last player to score 20 in the top flight for Villa, after equalling Christian Benteke's 19 as the club's highest Premier League tally.
Seven years ago, Watkins was playing on the wing for Exeter City in League Two - now he looks a shoo-in for England's Euros squad.
Haaland (holding last year's Golden Boot, right) remains an odds-on favourite with the bookies to win the award.
This story is from the April 16, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
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This story is from the April 16, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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