Ollie Watkins secured a late draw for Aston Villa after they had previously let slip a two-goal advantage against Brentford in the Premier League.
Watkins put Villa ahead in the 39th minute, connecting with John McGinn’s delivery to score with a strong header that just crossed the line.
Morgan Rogers then doubled the home team’s lead just 32 seconds into the second half with a precise finish into the bottom corner.
However, Brentford fought back with three goals in a span of nine minutes in the second half. First, Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross took a deflection off Mathias Jorgensen’s foot just before the hour mark.
Two minutes later, Bryan Mbeumo equalized for Brentford by volleying in Sergio Reguilon’s cross.
The Bees then took the lead in the 68th minute when Yoana Wissa tapped in Reguilon’s delivery across the goal.
Despite this, Watkins came to Villa’s rescue by scoring the equalizer with a header with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Villa remains in fourth place, three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, with two more games played. Brentford, on the other hand, drops to 16th place, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Aston Villa appeared to be on course for only their second league victory in five matches when Rogers extended their lead with his first goal for the club.
However, in a span of nine minutes, they allowed Brentford to turn the game around with three well-executed crosses into the box, highlighting their defensive vulnerabilities once again. Watkins’ heroics in the dying minutes saved Villa from a disappointing result.
The English forward not only leads the Premier League in goal involvements this season but also set a new record for the most goal involvements in a single season for a Villa player, surpassing Dwight Yorke’s tally in the 1995-96 campaign.
Watkins’ absence was felt in Villa’s recent 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, making his return from a minor hamstring injury a positive for the team on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s side will have to cope without Douglas Luiz for their next two league fixtures after the midfielder received his 10th yellow card of the season towards the end of the match.