Aston Villa Fights Back To Secure Draw With Liverpool
Aston Villa salvaged a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in a thrilling Premier League encounter, courtesy of two late goals from Colombian Jhon Duran, leaving them on the verge of UEFA Champions League qualification at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
The hosts featured in-form striker Ollie Watkins in attack, with Leon Bailey and John McGinn supporting on the wings. For the visitors, Cody Gakpo led the line while Egyptian Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz were on the flanks.
The match that started with Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez conceding a shocking own-goal after 62 seconds to the delight of the Liverpool fans. It was the third own-goal Martinez has scored in the Premier League, more than any other goalkeeper in the competition’s history.
Villa, who would have made sure of fourth place with a win, equalised 10 minutes later through Youri Tielemans on the Belgian’s return from three matches out due to injury.
Liverpool then went ahead through Gakpo in the 23rd as the visitors were keen on a strong third-placed finished. The visitors then extend its lead in the second half when defender Jarell Quansah headed in off the post from a free kick for his first Premier League goal in the 48th minute. 3-1!.
Liverpool looked set for all three points at Villa Park, however, more was to come as the home side had a trick up its sleeves in the thrilling encounter.
Striker Duran then came on to save the night for Aston Villa with strikes in the 85th and 88th minutes to halt Liverpool’s charge, sending the fans in the stadium into a frenzy.
The match finished 3-3 as the home side kept alive its chance to finished fourth in the Premier League. Villa are now on 68 points with one game remaining, five clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have two matches still to come. Tottenham must beat title-chasing Manchester City on Tuesday to stay in contention.
The thrilling clash could have ended with a far higher scoreline, with both sets of fans disappointed by VAR and plenty of missed chances.
A late brace from super-sub Jhon Duran rescues a point for Aston Villa #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/dZNoOfEVHJ
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 13, 2024
“We got a bit of luck. It’s been a tough few weeks with lads coming back and playing through the pain barrier. This place got us going,” Villa captain John McGinn said in an interview.
“Big Jhon is a bit nuts at times, he’s a nightmare to play against.
“There’s some of us that have never been close to the Champions League in our life. The manager has a no-excuse mentality. People have written us off and we’ve floated under the radar. We’ll have our Man City tops on tomorrow.”
