Aston Villa fans were left despondent once again after Diego Carlos somehow missed from less than two yards out against Liverpool.
Villa fell 1-0 down within the second minute of their crucial clash for Champions League football due to Emiliano Martinez’s own-goal, and were also guilty of leaving their shooting boots at home.
After Youri Tielemans fired Villa back on level terms, Liverpool regained the lead through Cody Gakpo, but Unai Emery’s side then had an excellent chance to equalise for the second time.
Centre-back Carlos missed from inches out though, with Leon Bailey’s low ball across the face of goal finding the defender only for his left foot to take it wide instead of into the goal right in front of him.
“It’s almost impossible to miss,” Joe Shennan said on commentary for talkSPORT, with Danny Murphy adding: “That’s the difference between the best players and the world and those just below.
“The best players in the world don’t miss these.”
Villa’s task was made even tougher when Jarell Quansah headed in for Liverpool to make it 3-1 moments in to the second-half.
But Jhon Duran drew Villa level with two quick-fire goals during the final ten minutes of the game in an exciting finish.
The draw means they have gone five points clear of Tottenham, who face Manchester City on Tuesday night in a huge fixture.
Failure to beat the reigning champions would see Spurs miss out on a top four finish against Villa ahead of the final day.
2
Villa could therefore secure Champions League football in less than 24 hours time and return to European football’s top competition for the first time since 1983.
It would be Emery’s biggest achievement at the club since his appointment in October 2022 and a deserved reward for their efforts.