Aston Villa staged a dramatic late comeback against Liverpool at Villa Park to earn a vital point in the race for fourth place in the Premier League.
Villa could have confirmed Champions League football for the first time with victory and there was a carnival atmosphere before kick-off as Hollywood legend and celebrity supporter Tom Hanks addressed the crowd.
Unai Emery’s side looked to be leaving the door open for rivals Tottenham as they trailed 3-1 with five minutes left but two goals from substitute Jhon Duran snatched an unlikely draw.
The early party mood was punctured inside two minutes after a horrendous error by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who somehow fumbled Harvey Elliott’s deflected cross into his own net in front of a stunned Holte End.
Villa responded when Youri Tielemans powered home an equaliser after 12 minutes but Liverpool restored their lead as they cut the home defence wide open, Cody Gakpo tapping in Joe Gomez’s cross.
The home side looked tense but still created chances, Diego Carlos and Moussa Diaby both guilty of glaring misses as they pressed for an equaliser.
Liverpool made Villa’s task even harder when they extended their lead three minutes after the interval, young defender Jarell Quansah towering above Lucas Digne to score his first Premier League goal.
Substitute Duran set up a grandstand finish when his low shot beat Alisson with five minutes left then Villa Park went wild as Diaby’s shot deflected in off the striker.
Villa are still in pole position to reach next season’s Champions League as they stand five points ahead of Spurs, who have two games left, and will hope reigning champions and title favourites Manchester City can aid their cause when they play the top-four rivals on Tuesday night.
The point Aston Villa earned with this dramatic late turn of events edged them closer to the Champions League and was the result of endeavour and a refusal to accept defeat.
The hosts looked riddled with nerves for much of the night but still kept pushing forward and creating chances, Duran’s first goal sending a surge of energy through the stadium before his fortunate late leveller sparked wild scenes of celebration.
There is still no guarantee Villa will make the top four with Spurs right in the melting pot but they have turned up the pressure even further on Ange Postecoglou’s side as they face the formidable task of having to beat in-form Manchester City at home.
Martinez’s uncharacteristic error set Villa back instantly but the one thing they did all night was create opportunities and with Liverpool always looking vulnerable they finally managed to cash in at the death.
It certainly pleased superstar Hanks, who was seen pumping his fists wildly when Duran’s deflection flew in at the Holte End.
Hanks will hope to join Villa and their supporters in further celebrations after the final day of the season.
Liverpool’s fans spent much of the night serenading outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp in his penultimate game in charge, enjoying their side’s lead but seemingly none too concerned at the late concession of two points.
It was a big night for hugely promising defender Quansah after scoring his first league goal but otherwise it seemed like a very relaxed Liverpool – who had nothing of note to play for – were freewheeling their way through to Sunday’s emotional farewell to the manager who has brought them so much joy in his nine-year reign.
Klopp was a calm figure on the sidelines, well aware of the fact a yellow card could deprive him of his place in the technical area for his final Anfield appearance against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
Anfield will be in the mood to give Klopp the send-off he deserves and most travelling supporters here seemed to use this game as the chance to clear their throats and go through their song-sheets in a dress rehearsal for the German’s final bow. – BBC.
