Steven Gerrard unveils exciting £53m Aston Villa plan to do what Dean Smith failed to

Steven Gerrard is determined to make Aston Villa’s £53million strike partnership finally work. Danny Ings cost £25m last summer, Ollie Watkins £28m a year earlier. Together, they were supposed to be the duo that catapulted Villa into a top-six team.

But up until Saturday, the duo had netted just nine goals between them in 10 starts together – and only two of those goals had come when both strikers were on the pitch.

It was a conundrum Dean Smith failed to solve, and got sacked – but one that Gerrard is certain he can work out.

And maybe first glimmerings were there with this first win in four games, as Watkins scored, and Ings worked his socks off.

Gerrard said: “I said to them I don’t want to be in the position where I am playing one of them one week and one the next. 

“I want goals, I want my goalscorers on the pitch. I gave them the opportunity on Saturday. Out of possession they were outstanding, selfless. Ollie got his goal, but don’t forget the work that Danny did.

But then Matty Cash fastened onto a poor Brighton clearance and crashed his shot in off the post for a fine goal – and was promptly booked by over-fussy referee John Brooks for pulling up his shirt to reveal a message of support for Polish international teammate Tomasz Kedziora – stuck in war-torn Ukraine playing at Dynamo Kyev. Officialdom, eh?

Alex Mac Allister hit the bar as Albion tried to fight back, but Graham Potter’s side were again worryingly lacking in inspiration as they succumbed to a third straight defeat. 

Villa could have added a second when the excellent Phillip Coutinho’s free-kick was superbly kept out by Robert Sanchez.

But then Tyrone Mings’ long ball caught out Albion, and Watkins raced through to convert coolly. Not quote the old one-two, but it will do for Villa.

Albion were poor. Neal Maupay tested Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez late on, and Danny Welbeck headed wastefully wide. But they have gone badly off the boil.