Unai Emery explains Aston Villa striker plan after Tammy Abraham stakes claim

Abraham came off the bench to salvage a draw for Villa with a late equaliser against Leeds on Saturday, with Emery opting to pair his two strikers together in the closing stages.

But while the tactic worked on this occasion, the boss is again expected to pick between the two for Friday’s derby at Wolves.

Abraham has now scored in successive matches, while Watkins has netted just once in his last 10 appearances.

Asked if the pair playing together could become a regular occurrence, Emery replied: “When I arrived here we were sometimes playing with Watkins and Danny Ings. Then with Watkins and Jhon Duran, sometimes they were playing together.

“But it was only in the moment we needed it. On Saturday they played both together and Tammy scored.

“It is very important to add those numbers for the team and both compete for this position as a striker, getting numbers and feeling comfortable. Sometimes, there will be the possibility to play with both at the same time. 

“It depends, each match with the circumstances happening tactically.”

Saturday’s draw dealt another blow to Villa’s fading title aspirations, yet they remain six points clear of Chelsea in the race for Champions League football, after the latter were held 1-1 at home by Burnley.

“It’s not the best result, it’s not the worst,” said Emery. “When we were losing in the minute 89, 1-0, to draw this match was really something fantastic.”