Ollie Watkins’ late goal gives Aston Villa point against Brentford

Ollie Watkins secured a late equalizer for Aston Villa after they had previously squandered a two-goal lead against Brentford in the Premier League.

Forward Watkins provided Aston Villa with a 39th-minute lead, connecting with John McGinn’s cross to nod home with force, the ball barely crossing the line.

Shortly after the restart, Morgan Rogers extended the hosts’ advantage just 32 seconds into the second half with a superbly placed low finish into the bottom corner.

However, Brentford mounted a remarkable comeback, scoring three goals in a span of nine minutes during the second half. Firstly, Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross deflected off Mathias Jorgensen’s foot and into the net just before the hour mark.

Two minutes later, the Bees leveled the scoreline as Bryan Mbeumo volleyed home Sergio Reguilon’s delivery.

In the 68th minute, Brentford surged ahead when Yoane Wissa tapped in Reguilon’s cross across the face of the goal.

Despite Brentford’s resurgence, Watkins denied them victory, heading in the equalizer with 10 minutes remaining.

Aston Villa maintains fourth place, holding a three-point lead over fifth-placed Tottenham, albeit having played two more matches. Meanwhile, Brentford drops to 16th position, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Watkins rescues sloppy Villa

Aston Villa appeared on course for just their second league victory in five matches as Rogers extended their lead with his inaugural goal for the club. However, in a span of nine agonizing minutes, they allowed Brentford to mount a comeback with three well-executed crosses into the box. Once again, they found themselves relying on Watkins, their key player, to salvage the match in the dying moments.

Notably, Watkins currently leads the Premier League in goal involvements (goals and assists) this season, with his tally of 28 being the highest in a single season for a Villa player, surpassing Dwight Yorke’s record set in the 1995-96 campaign.

His absence was keenly felt in Aston Villa’s 4-1 defeat to Manchester City earlier in the week, making his productive return from a minor hamstring injury a positive development for the team on Saturday.

However, Villa will be without Douglas Luiz for their next two league fixtures after the midfielder received his 10th yellow card of the season late in the match.

Looking ahead, Villa is set to host Lille in the Europa League on Thursday before facing Arsenal in the Premier League three days later.