Konsa says Watford wind-up merchant Deeney should get credit for Villa’s last-minute winner

EZRI KONSA reckons there is little debate over who deserves the credit for Aston Villa’s last-ditch winner against Watford.

He’s giving all the credit to lifelong Birmingham supporter and Villa-baiter Troy Deeney – ahead of himself or team-mate Tyrone Mings.

Konsa thought he had netted his first Premier League goal to snatch Villa a dramatic 95th-minute winner on Tuesday.

But TV replays showed his effort had clipped Mings on its way past Hornets keeper Ben Foster.

Konsa initially said he was “absolutely heartbroken” after being informed by a TV reporter that his goal was credited to Mings.

But he believes it was Deeney’s taunts that sparked Villa’s revival.

The Hornets striker cupped his hands to his ears and taunted the Holte End after heading his side in front in the first half.

Those three points could turn out to be the turning point in Villa’s season as it allowed Dean Smith’s battlers to leapfrog Watford and dump the Hornets back in the relegation zone.

Konsa, 22, said: “When Troy scored, you could see from his celebrations how much he enjoyed it.

“It made us a bit angry and the fans as well so we knew we had to come out in the second half and do more.

“Things like that always fire you up, when you see someone celebrating like that in front of your fans.”

Tempers flared after Deeney taunted Villa fans, who hurled coins at Watford’s Bluenose striker.

SunSport understands referee Martin Atkinson did not mention the incident in his match report, or Deeney’s actions in moving towards the Villa fans after his goal – in defiance of FA guidelines.

However, we can reveal the FA is aware of the incidents, which were caught by Sky TV cameras and FA chiefs have launched an investigation.

What is certain is that flashpoint moment back-fired on the Watford skipper after the break.

Villa boss Dean Smith gathered his players together in the home dressing room at half-time and showed them first half footage – highlighting the good the bad and the ugly side of Villa’s performance.

It certainly worked as Jack Grealish and his teammates swept Watford aside in the second half.

Konsa added: “Nothing beats a last minute winner. As a team we’ve always had that belief. We came from behind to earn a good point at Brighton too, which gave us confidence going into this game.

“That’s an absolutely massive win. We went 1-0 down to what was really their first attack. But at half time we knew if we trusted in each other we could get the victory.

“Me and Tyrone have been joking about the winning goal. It’s a bit of a weird one. He didn’t even expect it – he was trying to get out of the way!

“As I hit it, it’s just got the slightest little touch off his leg, so, I’m not in the headlines!

“You could say I’m disappointed but we got the three points which is what really mattered. We knew we had to win because Watford were a point above us.

“Now this puts a little bit of pressure on the teams around us and it shows that we can stay in this league. They find it difficult coming to Villa Park and we know that.”