Duran, Duran: Villa on song as Champions League beckons
This was a Premier League game where Aston Villa began by losing the plot but then almost finished with a Hollywood ending.
In front of their celebrity actor fan Tom Hanks, who addressed the crowd beforehand, they mounted a stirring comeback against Liverpool taking them to the brink of a Champions League place. At 3-1 down with just five minutes to go they flipped the script.
It certainly felt like that amid the wild scenes of celebration at the final whistle after two goals by a dynamic substitute to clinch a 3-3 draw. Duran Duran was on song.
Flicking through Hanks’ filmography, perhaps the most apt title now is Catch Me If You Can. It is over to Tottenham Hotspur who are five points behind but have two games to play, with Villa having just the one left.
The problem for Tottenham is not only their wretched form but the fact it is title-chasing Manchester City who they must beat this morning (NZ time) to keep their faltering hopes alive.
If Villa finish in the top four it will be a magnificent campaign for them, securing their involvement in the European Cup for the first time since 1983.
Villa are almost there. But they will also be kicking themselves that they did not actually get the job done in front of their own supporters. They had the opportunities but they also made stupid mistakes.
The home fans did not immediately leave after the game and they certainly believe as the players and Unai Emery came back out for a lap of appreciation. The flags were waved and the atmosphere felt triumphant with Emery shouting “up the Villa!” into the microphone.
Ahead of kickoff the stadium announcer had hailed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez as “the world’s number one”, there had been a carnival feel inside Villa Park, the home players had taken to the pitch with their children – and then after just 61 seconds they were a goal down.
And it was due to a horrendous, awful error from Martinez who fumbled Harvey Elliott’s deflected cross into his own net. He almost patted it over the line.
Then, after Youri Tielemans had equalised only for Cody Gakpo to restore Liverpool’s lead, there was arguably the miss of all-time from Diego Carlos. Leon Bailey broke through in the penalty area and crossed low. It was an open goal and a tapin for Carlos, with Ollie Watkins behind him, but the defender somehow made a mess of it and side-footed wide. From half a metre out. No more.
For Villa the frustration grew. Jarrel Quansah made it 3-1 to Liverpool with a superb looping header for his first Premier League goal before Villa hoped they had pulled one back. Watkins finished and there was a long VAR check. Bailey angrily berated Watkins, presumably believing he had strayed offside. But it was Bailey who had erred and it was ruled out.
It seemed a sign that the game was lost for Villa with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp making a quadruple substitution to refresh his team. But it was two changes made by Emery that made the difference. One of them, Calum Chambers, sharply stole away possession from a hesitant Alexis MacAllister to feed the other, Jhon Duran, who had a lot to do but beat Alisson with a fine low shot. Then there was a freakish finish as Moussa Diaby attempted to pick out Duran with the ball striking the forward’s thigh and flying into the net as he ran on. A slice of fortune for sure, maybe a bit of improvisation, but Villa will hope it was a sign also.