Five key talking points as Aston Villa rallies in a thrilling match and Liverpool blows a victory

ASTON VILLA 3–3 Liverpool: Jhon Duran, a substitute, scores two goals in the dying minutes to prevent Reds manager Jurgen Klopp from winning in his final Premier League away game at Villa Park.

Jhon Duran scored two goals late in the game to win Aston Villa a point, making it an exciting penultimate match for Jurgen Klopp in command.

Even though the Reds knew they would finish in third place going into Villa Park, they still felt terrible about losing by two points. Villa is anxiously watching Tottenham, who visit Manchester City on Tuesday, since they would have secured fourth place with a victory.

Within two minutes, Emi Martinez gave Liverpool the lead when he inexplicably let Harvey Elliott’s deflected shot past his goal line. Ollie Watkins gave Villa a counterattack, setting up Youri Tielemans for a spectacular run that brought them level, but the advantage was short lived.

Cody Gakpo’s tap-in after Martinez got a touch on Joe Gomez’s side-footed shot was approved following a protracted VAR review for offside. Before the half, Villa could have equalised once more, but Diego Carlos amazingly missed a clear goal from Leon Bailey’s cross, depriving Watkins of the ball in the process, and Moussa Diaby fired over when clean through.

To make the score 3-1, Jarell Quansah slipped in behind Lucas Digne and headed in Elliott’s free kick off the inside of the post. Substitute Duran scored a goal into the corner after Alexis Mac Allister lost possession of the ball in a risky location, after Watkins and Elliott had their goals disallowed by VAR for offside. A few minutes later, he got another when Diaby’s pass unintentionally struck him and zipped by Alisson. These are the points of discussion.

Martinez makes a shocking revelation.

Martinez was given the major build-up prior to kickoff. “I adore a goalie who exudes charisma,” Gary Neville declared on Sky Sports. “Generally speaking, not only a physical presence on a pitch. He’s a huge character, self-assured, and a little crazy. A character identical to this one was Peter Schmeichel, with whom I played.

“Alisson has been the best player in the world for the previous few years, but Martinez has played a huge role in Villa’s success this year, in my opinion. I can only image the incredible confidence he instills in that team in the locker room—a World Cup victor and all that entails.”

Martinez was plucking the ball out of his net, looking sheepish, a few minutes later. When he attempted to grab Elliott’s deflected cross, his demeanour did not assist. Desperate to get it back, he threw it all together and spilled it over the queue. Although Martinez has a natural air of confidence and bluster, he appeared to lose focus around the 61-second mark. More than any other goalie in the competition’s history, he has already scored three own goals in the Premier League.

Watkins, the all-around attacker.

Among the curious onlookers at Villa Park was England manager Gareth Southgate, who would have been thrilled with what he saw from Watkins in the twelfth minute. The Villa striker was given the ball and found himself alone against Jarell Quansah; he saw the opportunity right away and acted without hesitation because of his current level of confidence.

Without thinking, Watkins sped by Quansah, reached the byline, and selected the ideal pass for the approaching Tielemans. The assist served as a testament to Watkins’ improved all-around ability under Unai Emery. In the Premier League, he has scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists so far. He ranks fourth in terms of goals scored and three ahead of Cole Palmer in the assists chart. Carlos should have left Bailey’s cross for Watkins, who would have scored his 20th league goal as well.

Jurgen Klopp Lagaces

This was Klopp’s second-to-last game in charge of Liverpool. When the third goal went in, Klopp must have felt a surge of pride, but he will keep the emotion for Sunday when Liverpool hosts Wolves at Anfield. Klopp will try to wait until the end of the season to reflect on his eight and a half years in charge.

Elliott, one of his favourite teenage players, launched the free kick that Quansah rose to head in. Before the match, Klopp was questioned about any regrets he had made this year. He continued: “If I regret one thing a little bit it’s that Harvey didn’t play often enough maybe,” he responded. However, Klopp shouldn’t feel bad because, in time, he will be able to recognise how much he helped Liverpool’s young players—Elliott and Quansah, for example—achieve in their careers.

The challenging question for Tottenham

The topic of Tottenham’s Tuesday night match against Manchester City and whether the home team may forfeit to stop Arsenal from winning the Premier League title for the first time in 20 years has been discussed a lot in the last few days. Ange Postecoglou’s claim that they won’t do so is supported by this outcome.

Many Spurs supporters on social media would rather that their team lose in order to support City as they pursue a sixth championship in seven years. Villa, however, is five points behind with a game remaining, so they do have something to play for as a result of their draw. They will put Arsenal in a stronger position and increase their chances of qualifying for the Champions League the following year if they defeat City.

Villa must defeat in-form Crystal Palace away in their final game of the season to secure fourth place in the Premier League if Spurs defeat City six times in a row at home.

Careless defence

Due to Aston Villa’s and Liverpool’s strong defensive lines, VAR had a busy night deciding whether or not four goals were offside. Gomez made it through a razor-thin margin for Gakpo’s score, but three others were not.

Both teams’ careless defending provided plenty of amusement, and when Villa seemed to tyre late in the game, Duran made an unexpected late impact. The Villa striker scored his first goal brilliantly, slamming it into the bottom corner. However, his second goal, which came from Diaby’s ball and floated into the corner, was incredibly fortunate.