BIRMINGHAM, England : Substitute Jhon Duran scored two late goals as Aston Villa fought back to salvage a 3-3 home draw with Liverpool on Monday and take a significant step towards a place in the Champions League next season.
A match that started with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez conceding a shocking second minute own-goal turned into a thriller with Duran coming on to save the night with goals in the 85th and 88th minutes.
Villa are now on 68 points with one game remaining, five clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have two matches still to come.
Liverpool were gifted the opener when Argentine international Martinez fumbled a tame Harvey Elliot cross, desperately clawing the ball across the line and into his own net.
Villa, who would have secured fourth place with a win and must now wait for Tottenham’s home game against title-chasers Manchester City on Tuesday, equalised 10 minutes later through Youri Tielemans.
Cody Gakpo made it 2-1 to the third-placed visitors in the 23rd, after a VAR check for offside, and Jarell Quansah then headed in off the post from a free kick for his first Premier League goal in the 48th.
