Tammy Abraham’s sensational 93rd-minute winner fired Aston Villa one step closer to Champions League qualification in a ding-dong 4-3 victory over Sunderland.
It looked like Unai Emery’s men had thrown away three points when Sunderland scored in the 86th and 87th-minute to equalise from 3-1 down, but the substitute’s late finish saved the day.
Daily Mail Sport’s CIARAN FOREMAN analysed the action.
ARE YOU WATCHING, THOMAS?
When Thomas Tuchel opted for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin over Ollie Watkins for his 35-man England squad in March, it was hard to argue against his logic.
Watkins had scored just one goal in nine games for Unai Emery’s side at the time, while Calvert-Lewin, in particular, was still riding the high of his sizzling hot form for Leeds.
It is no surprise that Villa’s form faltered during their talisman’s barren spell. They won just two of those nine.
What a time it is for him to come back into form.
Tammy Abraham’s late winner fired Aston Villa closer to Champions League qualification
Ollie Watkins scored a first-half brace and assisted one in the ding-dong tie vs Sunderland
The 30-year-old bagged two instinctive finishes either side of a Chris Rigg equaliser inside the first half here at Villa Park, taking his tally to six goals in the last five games.
For his first, credit must go to Villa’s tireless captain John McGinn, who darted behind the Sunderland defence and looped a cross to the back-post for Watkins to head home.
Morgan Rogers was imperious, too, for Watkins’ second. Bullying and teasing Nordi Mukiele, the youngster found Ian Maatsen, who fizzed a ball across the face of goal for Watkins to nod beyond Robin Roefs after 36 minutes.
Watkins repaid the favour to his team-mate in the second 45, assisting Rogers who completed an excellent team goal just one minute after the restart.
Tuchel, who is looking for a deputy to Harry Kane at this summer’s World Cup, will surely have raised a smile. Watkins may well be his answer.
‘Ollie was fantastic,’ Villa boss Emery said post-match. ‘Not only scoring goals, but how he ran, duels with the defence and fighting.’
EMERY’S EUROPEAN HUNGER
There is an insatiable appetite that Emery has for European football that perhaps no manager in the continent shares.
The four-time Europa League winner’s side came into Sunday’s tie on the back of just three Premier League wins since the turn of the New Year.
Sunderland scored twice in 58 seconds and almost spoiled the day in the West Midlands
Villa are on track for their second Champions League qualification under manager Unai Emery
Yet, on the back of their 4-0 trouncing of Bologna to book a semi-final place in the Europa League, Villa have come alive in the Premier League again – to hunt down Champions League qualification at the earliest opportunity.
They did not make it easy for themselves here, and there are tougher tests to come in the form of Liverpool – who are chasing their tail in 5th place – and Man City on the final game of the season.
But they are now 10 points ahead of 6th-placed Chelsea and it looks like they will see it out, either by winning the Europa League or finishing in the top five.
Should they do so, it will be the second time they have qualified for Europe’s premier competition since Emery arrived in the West Midlands in 2022.
Surely the sculptors behind the statues outside Villa Park may have to start work on another – this time of a man with slicked back hair from the Basque Country.
BOX OFFICE BLACK CATS
Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland have been one of the stories of the season, and they duly lived up to that title at Villa Park.
The visitors looked dead and buried after Rogers’ sucker-punch goal but, capitalising on a defensive mishap from Jadon Sancho, hoisted themselves back into the game through Trai Hume.
Just 58 seconds later, Wilson Isidor, who replaced Brian Brobbey from the bench, stunned the home crowd as he fired beyond Emiliano Martinez to make it 3-3.
They could – and possibly should – have taken all three points when Habib Diarra was one-on-one with Emiliano Martinez early in injury time, but the 22-year-old opted to chip the streetwise Argentinian, who saved the ball with his fingertips before starting the attack that saw Abraham nick it for Villa.
Le Bris revealed that Diarra apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room.
‘He felt it was a key moment in this game,’ the Sunderland boss said. ‘I don’t know about his decision-making. The goalkeeper played the situation properly, so it’s tough to say.’
Ultimately it was not to be for the Black Cats, who could have leapt up to 6th place with a win, but they have been a welcome addition to the Premier League this season.
