Tammy Abraham’s 94th-minute goal forced Aston Villa to beat Sunderland for the second time, sealing a 4-3 win in the Premier League classic. This was right after their two-point lead collapsed in just 58 seconds.
The Villans were looking for a routine win at home, other than to seal their spot in next season’s Champions League, but they led 3-1 with four minutes remaining thanks to two goals from Ollie Watkins and a third from Morgan Rodgers.
But Troy Hume provided a strong consolation after taking out substitute Jadon Sancho and the Man United loanee stunned Villa Park shortly after the restart with Enzo Le Fe leveling the score past Wilson Isidore.
There was always the potential for twists and turns between the two teams, who had lost more positions than the other teams in the Premier League but had picked up more points, but it was still a stretch.
Khabib Diarra raced in front of goal to complete the comeback, but things could have been even more unimaginable had Emiliano Martinez wavered on his line as he attempted a dink. “I don’t know if it was the best decision, but it is what it is,” said manager Regis Le Bris, diplomatically speaking about the move.
Emi Martinez denied Khabib Diarra the chance to pull off an incredible comeback at Villa Park
But there was still one final twist to one of the most tumultuous endings in Premier League history, with Villa regaining the lead in the 94th minute when a fine deep cross from Lucas Digne was beaten away by Abraham with a deft touch and head coach Unai Emery rushed onto the pitch to celebrate.
Emery told Sky Sports after the match: “We played a great game, but we got two goals in one minute and we were a bit disappointed.” “But at 3-3 it was great how we reacted and scored the fourth goal.
“I’ll rest now, I’ll recover tomorrow!”
It would take an even bigger collapse than the one witnessed at Villa Park on Sunday for the club to miss out on Champions League qualification, 10 points behind sixth-placed Chelsea, while Sunderland’s own European hopes have suffered a painful but far from fatal blow, with them sitting just two points behind the Blues despite sitting in 11th place.
McGinn ‘noisy’ dissatisfied with Villa’s match management
Aston Villa captain John McGinn told Sky Sports:
“We were in the lead and had chances to go up four or five behind. Sunderland are a good team. They put us behind. We have to manage the game better, but we were in the lead.”
“Being 3-3 is definitely something we are not happy about. We could easily have given up the fourth goal. It was a great save from Emi (Martinez) and Tammy (Abraham) came on in a difficult situation and had a great finish.”
“We’re excited. We’ll be frustrated there and we know we won the game, but we have high standards as a group. It (the top five and the Europa League) is in our hands. We can go and achieve what Villa players haven’t been able to achieve for a long time.”
“When you look at the two-point difference that Tammy added for us, that’s huge for us. It wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the day, who cares?”
Emery ‘very satisfied’ with Villa’s overall performance
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery told Sky Sports:
“It’s very difficult to beat Sunderland in the Premier League, but they had a chance and are still in the race for European qualification.
“I’m really, really happy with how we played. We’re going to do a deep analysis to find out why we lost consciousness after just a few minutes.”
“We started very hard in the first half and dominated. I think the second half was even better. We scored the third goal and had a chance to score the fourth. Overall, a lot of things were very positive.”
Le Bris disappointed by Villa Park’s silence
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris told Sky Sports:
“We had a chance to win the match one-on-one against Diarra, but we conceded a goal, so it’s a little disappointing.
“Today I felt Aston Villa’s power and strength, they created a lot of chances.
“We didn’t start well in the first half or second half. It’s always difficult when you concede after half-time. If you’re 3-1 up, one goal can change the game.”
“We’re learning. Step by step, it’s not going to end well.”
