Substitute Jhon Durán struck twice late on as Aston Villa came back from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw against Liverpool, avoiding back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time this season in the process.
Liverpool wanted to gift Jürgen Klopp a fitting farewell present to commemorate his final away game as the club’s manager and the Reds drew a beaming smile from the German coach in the opening minutes after Emiliano Martínez fumbled Harvey Elliott’s deflected cross into his own net.
But an Aston Villa side chasing a first top-four finish since 1995/96 were not going to submit.
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The Villans restored parity 10 minutes later when Ollie Watkins dribbled forward at breakneck speed, cutting back for the lurking Youri Tielemans, who thumped his strike past a crowd of defenders and into the net.
Both sides kept the intensity high and the third goal could have gone either way until Liverpool worked the ball from left to right in the attacking third for the overlapping Joe Gomez, who crossed for Cody Gakpo to tap past Martínez.
A second Reds goal did little to dampen Villa’s hopes as Unai Emery’s side almost clawed back again before halftime.
Leon Bailey ran clear of the Liverpool defence before passing across goal for Douglas Luiz to convert, but the sliding Brazilian couldn’t connect effectively, sending his effort agonisingly wide.
Recovering the lead was now a big ask for Villa, considering Liverpool haven’t lost a Premier League game when ahead at halftime since December 2016, and the hosts’ chances of a comeback diminished once Jarell Quansah’s header from Elliott’s free-kick looped over Martínez.
The end-to-end action resumed, however, as Watkins thought he pulled one back for the Villans but his tap-in was ruled out after Bailey strayed offside during the build-up.
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A persistent Villa were rewarded with a late lifeline after Calum Chambers seized on Alexis Mac Allister’s poor touch, playing in Durán, who fired an unstoppable strike into the bottom corner past Alisson.
Capping off a whirlwind contest, Durán was more fortunate in the 89th minute, with Moussa Diaby’s wayward shot bouncing off the substitute’s knee and drifting over a helpless Alisson.
The Colombian forward’s late double moved Villa five points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, allowing Emery’s outfit to secure their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League if Spurs lose against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Although Liverpool’s third-place position in the Premier League table was already confirmed, Klopp will ultimately be disappointed with his side’s late capitulation, as the Reds dropped points at Villa Park for the first time since October 2020.
