Aston Villa 3 Brentford 3
Thomas Frank’s side travelled to Villa Park looking for their first win in eight games. With the hosts vying for a top four spot, the game had importance for both sides for very different reasons. Aston Villa and Tottenham are having a titanic battle for Champions League qualification.
The visitors had the first chance of the game when Mbuemo took a free kick in a dangerous position. He looked to beat Martinez at his near post but the ball nestled in the side netting. Some of the fans thought the ball was in the back of the net.
Aston Villa forced a corner and Digne tried an outlandish inswinging cross. He almost caught Flekken out as he strayed off his line a little but managed to claw the ball away from goal. Moments later a cross was headed in by Watkins to give the hosts the lead.
Brentford’s keeper tried his best to keep the ball out but goal-line technology ruled that it had crossed the line before Flekken had seemingly saved it. Villa Park erupted as they broke the deadlock in the game as they looked to bounce back from defeat against Man City in the week.
Credit: @premierleague
It was a first-half of very few chances as both sides seemed to cancel each other out. For Unai Emery’s side, the most important outcome was the fact that they had established a lead. He knew The Bees were going to be no pushover in this match.
Early in the second half, the ball was played into Rogers, who cut inside onto his left foot to double the hosts’ lead. It was a first Villa goal for the youngster and a day he will not forget anytime soon. It was the perfect start after the interval for Emery’s side.
Despite the scoreline, Brentford never gave up on the game. This is the mentality instilled by manager Thomas Frank. He knows that it only takes one moment to turn the game completely on its head and something was brewing in the Midlands.
Damsgaard crossed from out wide and managed to pick out Jorgensen in the box. The defender tried to direct it goalwards with his right foot but completely missed the ball. In a bizarre turn of events, it then struck his standing foot and headed into the bottom corner of the goal.
Reguilon started to create problems for the hosts down the left flank. It was his cross that found Mbuemo in the box, who volleyed home to silence Villa Park. In the space of two minutes, The Bees had cancelled out Villa’s lead.
The visitors were not done there though. Reguilon turned provider again as he got to the byline before cutting the ball back to Wissa. The striker did not need a second invite as he slotted the ball past Martinez and into the back of the net.
Credit: @BrentfordFC
Unai Emery looked stunned on the touchline as his side had let a two-goal lead slip and were now trailing at home. This was not the afternoon they had planned as they looked to cement their position in fourth place in the Premier League.
Villa continued to probe, trying to find an equaliser. A deflected cross from out wide, looped up into the box. Watkins managed to get between two defenders and the keeper to head home. The stadium erupted as they thought their side were going to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.
The hosts continued to press and a cross from Zaniolo picked out Konsa in the box, who got his header all wrong. As it flew into the air, away from goal, Digne tried an acrobatic volley which grazed the top of the crossbar on its way through.
Despite all their efforts, the points were shared at Villa Park and Brentford had deserved something from the game. Thomas Frank will be hoping his side can show the same determination for the remainder of the season. If they do, they will have no problem in securing their Premier League status.
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