Morgan Rogers scored hat-trick and Ollie Watkins opened his Champions League account as Aston Villa beat Celtic 4-2 in a breathtaking game to seal their last-16 spot on Wednesday.
Rogers gave Villa a barnstorming start by scoring twice inside the opening five minutes, first steering in from close range and then planting a sublime dipping shot past Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Scottish league leaders Celtic, who like Villa were already assured of at least a playoff place, stormed back before halftime as Adam Idah stunned the hosts with a quick-fire double.
Watkins restored Villa's lead after a flowing move on the hour but scooped a penalty horribly over the crossbar to ensure a nervous finale at Villa Park.
Rogers wrapped it up in a stoppage time to complete his hat-trick. They will face either Sporting Lisbon, Club Brugge, Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund in the next round, with those teams first having to overcome a two-legged play-off.
Celtic will meet either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
Aston Villa vs Celtic latest news
- Rogers hat-trick seals thrilling Aston Villa win over Celtic
Good night!
22:27 , Jonathan GorrieThanks for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Aston Villa’s win over Celtic!
Find our match report below!
Rogers hat-trick seals thrilling Aston Villa win over Celtic
22:07 , Jonathan GorrieMorgan Rogers scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa ensured they finished in the top eight of the Champions League table by beating Celtic 4-2.
The Scottish champions will progress into next month’s knockout round, while Unai Emery’s side head straight into the last-16.
FT: Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic
21:55 , Jonathan Gorrie90 mins: It’s over!
What a game.
GOAL! Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic | Morgan Rogers '90
21:52 , Jonathan Gorrie90 mins: GOAL!
Morgan Rogers has his hat-trick!
Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic
21:48 , Jonathan Gorrie85 mins: Would be foolish to suggest there won’t be another goal here...
Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic
21:42 , Jonathan Gorrie80 mins: Brilliant save from Schmeichel to deny Rogers!
Villa should be out of sight here...
Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic
21:35 , Jonathan Gorrie71 mins: Hatate sends one just wide! Would have been some goal.
Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic
21:28 , Jonathan Gorrie66 mins: WHAT A MISS!
Watkins slips and balloons the ball over the bar!
Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic
21:26 , Jonathan GorriePENALTY TO VILLA! Trusty brings down Watkins.
GOAL! Aston Villa 3-2 Celtic | Ollie Watkins '59
21:22 , Jonathan Gorrie59 mins: GOAL!
Celtic exposed at the back as Villa counter. Ramsey rolls across for Watkins to finish!
Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic
21:15 , Jonathan Gorrie53 mins: Villa have so far had the better of it but Celtic have managed to clear lines.
Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic
21:09 , Jonathan Gorrie47 mins: There has to be more goals in this, surely!
Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic
21:07 , Jonathan GorrieBack underway!
HT: Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic
20:51 , Jonathan Gorrie45 mins: Honours even after a thrilling first-half!
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-2 Celtic | Adam Idah '37
20:39 , Jonathan Gorrie37 mins: GOAL!
WOW!
Idah scores a quick-fire brace to get Celtic back onto level terms!
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Celtic | Adam Idah '36
20:37 , Jonathan Gorrie36 mins: GOAL!
Celtic are back in it! Great improvised finish from Idah after a cross is deflected into his path!
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:33 , Jonathan Gorrie31 mins: OFF THE LINE!
Watkins almost finishes off a searing Villa counter but Johnston just about gets there!
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:31 , Jonathan Gorrie29 mins: Blow for Villa as Cash is forced off with what appears to be a hamstring injury.
McGinn on to replace him.
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:26 , Jonathan Gorrie25 mins: OFF THE POST!
Trusty’s clearance is poor and Ramsey volleys, though he strikes only the post.
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:26 , Jonathan Gorrie24 mins: Hatate wastes a great chance as Villa pounce on a loose pass from Celtic. Martinez saves with ease.
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:23 , Jonathan Gorrie21 mins: Aston Villa look so slick on the break. They’ll fancy there being more goals here.
Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic
20:12 , Jonathan Gorrie10 mins: Celtic have a mountain to climb, albeit they’re already assured of a play-off spot.
Villa can play this out perfectly from here.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-0 Celtic | Morgan Rogers '4
20:06 , Jonathan Gorrie04 mins: GOAL!
Another brilliant hit from Rogers! What an opening few minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Celtic | Morgan Rogers '2
20:05 , Jonathan Gorrie02 mins: GOAL!
What a start!
Brilliant move from Villa as Ramsey and Tielemans play a one-two to get around Johnson.
Ramsey gets to the byline and pulls back for Rogers, who finishes from close range.
Aston Villa 0-0 Celtic
20:03 , Jonathan Gorrie01 mins: A high tempo here as Bailey’s ball is cut out before it reaches Rogers.
Celtic break but Hatate’s ball is overhit.
Aston Villa vs Celtic: KICK-OFF!
20:01 , Jonathan GorrieWe are underway at Villa Park!
Jhon Duran transfer news
19:23 , Jonathan GorrieOllie Watkins is not the only Aston Villa striker in the news!
According to Fabrizio Romano, Al Nassr are close to agreeing a huge £62m deal with Aston Villa for Jhon Duran!
Ollie Watkins transfer update
18:57Big news coming out of Aston Villa this evening.
According to reports, they have rejected a £60m bid from Arsenal for striker Ollie Watkins...
Confirmed Celtic lineup
18:54 , Jonathan GorrieCeltic XI: Schmeichel; Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor; McGregor, Engels, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang
Subs: Sinisalo, Bain, Palma, McCowan, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Montgomery, Murray, Cummings, Ralston
Confirmed Aston Villa lineup
18:53 , Jonathan GorrieAston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Bogarde, Digne; Ramsey, Tielemans, Kamara; Bailey, Watkins, Rogers
Subs: Olsen, Zych, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Patterson, Swinkels, McGinn, Duran, Young
Champions League permutations: What Arsenal, Man City, Celtic and Aston Villa need to reach knockout stages
18:42 , Jonathan GorrieThe first league phase of the new-look Champions League concludes tonight, with plenty riding on what looks set to be a thrilling final round of fixtures.
Those who finish in the top eight of the Champions League table will be seeded and head straight to the round of 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter the knockout play-off round.
Finishing ninth to 16th means a team is seeded in the play-off round and will face a side that ended up between 17th and 24th in the final league phase standings.
Those who finish 25th to 36th will be immediately knocked out of the competition, and there is no longer any opportunity for eliminated teams to drop down to the Europa League.
With two sides already guaranteed a last-16 spot, Standard Sport explains what each of the British teams and big-hitters across Europe need from their final match in order to qualify for the knockout rounds…
Click here to read the permutations!
Aston Villa vs Celtic
17:58 , Jonathan GorrieIt’s going to be some atmosphere in here tonight...
Lights. Villa Park. Action. pic.twitter.com/Ot3lV8Im8q
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 29, 2025
Aston Villa vs Celtic: Latest Champions League odds today
17:54 , Jonathan GorrieAston Villa to win: 19/40
Draw: 15/4
Celtic to win: 19/4
Odds via Betway
Aston Villa vs Celtic: Head to head (h2h) history and results
17:42 , Jonathan GorrieThe two teams have never met competitively.
Aston Villa vs Celtic: Champions League score prediction today
17:34 , Jonathan GorrieIt promises to be a huge occasion tonight but Villa surely have enough at home, given the difference in resources.
Aston Villa to win 2-0.
Celtic team news vs Aston Villa today
17:33 , Jonathan GorrieForward Jota cannot feature for Celtic tonight despite making a sensational return to the club as he has not registered for this stage of the competition.
He will, however, be available for the next round.
Aston Villa team news vs Celtic today
17:32 , Jonathan GorrieJohn McGinn has returned to full fitness recently in a major boost for Villa.
Tyrone Mings is thought to have avoided serious injury despite the distressing scenes as the defender came off against West Ham on Sunday.
Aston Villa vs Celtic: TV channel and live stream for Champions League tonight
17:31 , Jonathan GorrieTV channel: The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Coverage starts at 7pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Discovery+ app.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!
Welcome
17:21 , Jonathan GorrieGood evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of a huge Champions League clash between Aston Villa and Celtic.
Kick-off from Villa Park is at 8pm GMT tonight.
