Late Drama at Kenilworth Road: Aston Villa Snatch Victory from Luton Town

They don’t give up. Neither Luton Town at Kenilworth Road nor Unai Emery’s Aston Villa… wherever he plays. The Villans promised them very happy, they went 0-2 at half-time, thanks to Ollie Watkins’ double. But Rob Edwards’s pupils showed, although without final reward, why all the greats have had to suffer the last straw to take the three points from their fiefdom. From 0-2 to 2-2, and from 2-2 to the final 2-3 in the 89th minute.

Lucas Digne and Moussa Diaby, players introduced by the Spanish coach in the second half, solved the problem that the villains themselves generated. After the 16th Premier League goal of the season by the English striker, who has already surpassed the 15 he scored last year in the championship and is just one goal behind Erling Haaland in the list of top scorers, Aston Villa raised as many the foot of the accelerator that they were about to suffer an accident.

The frustration of Hatters coach Rob Edwards contrasted greatly with the ecstasy shown by Unai Emery at the end of the match. The Birmingham team, sitting in fourth place, maintains its five-point lead over Tottenham, while Luton Town is four points away from safety. In the Premier League, yes, there is no easy game.

Watkins, who else?

Dominating from start to finish of the first half, the Villans’ goal at Kenilworth Road seemed like a matter of time. The first came 24 minutes into the game and, of course, was by Ollie Watkins. After two great interventions by Thomas Kaminski, the Aston Villa striker did not waste the corner taken by Leon Bailey to drill a header into the local nets. But the second visiting goal was also the work of the best English striker of the moment, and the numbers are there.

The 21st goal of the season for Ollie Watkins (among all competitions) came with some suspense, as the lineman first raised the flag to annul the visitor’s 0-2 lead due to offside by the English forward himself. But the VAR was quick to confirm the legal position of the second top scorer in the Premier League 2023-2024 and his precise, and beautiful, shot at the base of the post was reflected in the light.

Smiles and tears

What is strange is that Unai Emery, so well known for his analysis and detailed study of matches, missed that Luton Town is a team that never gives up. And even less so if he plays in his fiefdom. The Villans joined lines, lay down and jammed as hard as they could during the first stretch of the second 45 minutes. The problem is that the Birmingham team, with the intention of sleeping the game, ended up cooling themselves.

Matty Cash and ‘Dibu’ Martínez took the ball over the line on two occasions, but the third time was the charm for Tahith Chong, who reduced the gap on the scoreboard in the 66th minute. A goal that would be far from a coincidence, and five minutes later the hatters would tie the match. Carlton Morris finished off the free kick perfectly taken by Alfie Doughty, who has a glove for a left foot, at the far post, sending Kenilworth Road into a frenzy. Luton Town had managed to make it 2-2 in the match against Aston Villa.

Of course, the one that does not give up a game for lost is Unai Emery’s team. Two of the desperate changes introduced by the Spanish coach in the final stages of the match produced the goal that, in the end, gave the Villains three points. And there was no time for much more after Lucas Digne scored with a header, after a great cross at the second post by Moussa Diaby, the final 2-3 in the 89th minute. The celebration of Unai Emery, who ran madly for the technical area and shook his fists angrily after the final whistle, spoke for itself.

Changes

Askozie Ogbene (5′, Amari’i Bell), Morgan Rogers (28′, Jacob Ramsey), Daiki Hashioka (52′, Andros Townsend), Moussa Diaby (78′, Leon Bailey), Lucas Digne (78′, Álex Moreno), Tim Iroegbun (78′, Morgan Rogers), Nicolò Zaniolo (78′, Youri Tielemans), Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (83′, Tahith Chong)

Goals

0-1, 23′: Ollie Watkins0-2, 37′: Ollie Watkins1-2, 65′: Tahith Chong2-2, 71′: Carlton Morris2-3, 88′: Worthy

Cards

Referee: Michael Oliver
Referees VAR: Peter Bankes, Mark Scholes
Burke (37′, Yellow) Douglas Luiz (44′, Yellow) Leon Bailey (49′, Yellow) Morgan Rogers (49′, Yellow) Nicolo Zaniolo (91′, Yellow)

2024-03-02 19:47:51
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