Morgan Rogers hat-trick fires Aston Villa into last 16 after embarrassing Ollie Watkins miss All the pre-match chat had surrounded the futures of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran, but it was Morgan Rogers – an £8million signing from Middlesbrough this time last year – who stole the show and fired Aston Villa into the last 16 of the Champions League.
Rogers had a night to remember in front of England manager Thomas Tuchel and, thanks to Atalanta’s draw at Barcelona, the victory was enough for Villa to finish eighth in the league phase of the Champions League and go straight through to the last 16.
The striker scored his first Champions League goal to restore Villa’s lead in the second half, but he missed a penalty in embarrassing fashion and squandered chance after chance, which could have so easily been expensive for the hosts.
Rogers set a Champions League record by becoming the first player in the competition to score twice in the opening five minutes of a match and then completed his hat-trick in time added on.
With Villa turning down a bid just short of £60 million from Arsenal for Watkins and accepting an offer worth over that figure for Duran from Al-Nassr, what price Rogers, who must be one of the best-value signings of the past 12 months?.
