Both sides led, both sides blew a lead and both sides will be disappointed to not come away with all three points after Aston Villa and Brentford played to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Villa Park on Saturday.
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The result leaves Aston Villa (60 points) three points above Tottenham as they jostle for 4th place, with Spurs still to play on Sunday. Brentford (28 points), meanwhile, find themselves two places and just four points above the relegation zone after Luton Town (25 points) snatched a late victory against Bournemouth to go level with Nottingham Forest in 17th.
Villa were away and cruising comfortably after Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers staked their side to a 2-0 lead barely 30 seconds into the second half, but it all unraveled in the blink of an eye. Mathias Jorgensen and Bryan Mbeumo erased the deficit with goals two minutes apart right on the hour mark before Yoane Wissa put the Bees ahead in the 68th minute. Alas, Watkins wasn’t yet done torturing his former club, as he bagged his 18th PL goal (three against Brentford) this season, in the 80th.
Inconsistent performances to blame for Brentford’s nine-game winless run
For periods of Saturday’s game — much like plenty of recent games they failed to win — Brentford were equal parts brilliant and maddening. The Bees had just 24 percent of possession, took two shots and accrued all of 0.10 xG in the first half; Brentford completed 68 passes, to 267 for Villa; they were still asleep and in the dressing room when they went 2-0 down immediately after the restart.
Then, Jorgensen scored one of the sloppiest accidental goals of the season, and they were instantly flying. Their press suddenly gave the Aston Villa defense and midfield fits, winning the ball back in advantageous parts of the field and quickly getting it wide to Sergio Reguilon, who provided the long overlapping runs and picked up two assists at 2-2 and 3-2. But, of course, their inability to finish games came back to bite them again, as Villa regained control and nearly won it late.
What’s next?
Aston Villa will continue their top-four chase next Sunday, when they head to north London to take on title hopefuls Arsenal. Brentford will host last-place Sheffield United on Saturday.
Player ratings - Aston Villa vs Brentford
Aston Villa vs Brentford highlights, final score: 3-3
Goalscorers: Ollie Watkins (39', 80'), Morgan Rogers (46'), Mathias Jorgensen (59'), Bryan Mbeumo (61'), Yoane Wissa (68')
39th minute - GOAL - Ollie Watkins scores against his former club
46th minute - GOAL - Morgan Rogers doubles Aston Villa lead to start 2nd half
59th minute - GOAL - Mathias Jorgensen scores with his standing foot to make it 2-1
61st minute - GOAL - Bryan Mbeumo twists and turns to finish Sergio Reguilon’s cross
68th minute - GOAL - Yoane Wissa turns home another cross from Reguilon
80th minute - GOAL - Ollie Watkins heads home another to pull Villa level
How to watch Aston Villa vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET Saturday (April 6)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Watch live online via NBC.com
Aston Villa starting lineup
Martinez — Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne — Luiz, McGinn, Bailey, Rogers, Tielemans — Watkins
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken — Zanka, Ajer, Collins — Roerslev, Reguilon, Janelt, Jensen, Damsgaard — Mbeumo, Wissa
Aston Villa focus, team news
Getting McGinn back from suspension is huge for Villa and both Wakins and Martinez seem likely to return too, so that is a boost for Emery. Villa rotated their lineup heavily at Man City in midweek and will be targeting yet another home win this weekend to stay ahead of Tottenham in the race for fourth place. Defensive injuries have hit Villa hard and they need to improve at the back if they’re going to finish the season strongly in the Premier League and Europa Conference League.
OUT: Boubacar Kamara (torn ACL - out for season), Emiliano Buendia (torn ACL - out for season), Tyrone Mings (torn ACL - out for season), Jacob Ramsey (foot)
Brentford focus, team news
Brentford have had plenty of big injuries to deal with this season too and that explains whey they’re languishing just above the relegation zone rather than being in the top 10. If the Bees can keep things solid at the back, then Toney, Mbeumo and Wissa will cause Villa plenty of problems with their direct running.
OUT: Christian Norgaard (back), Ethan Pinnock (ankle), Kevin Schade (adductor), Ben Mee (ankle - out for season), Rico Henry (torn ACL - out for season), Aaron Hickey (hamstring), Josh Dasilva (torn ACL - out for season)
