Aston Villa salvaged a 3-3 draw against Brentford after capitulating and throwing away a two-goal lead in a chaotic second half.
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers appeared to put us on course for three points, but a bizarre and surreal collapse in the space of nine minutes saw the visitors turn things around and take the lead.
READ MORE: Villa duo build Emery trust with performances despite defeat
Fortunately, Watkins was able to head home his second of the game to rescue a point, but it’s a frustrating and disappointing outcome from a Villa perspective, as capitulations like that just can’t happen if we want to compete at the top.
It remains to be seen how damaging that is for our top-four aspirations with things very much in Tottenham’s favour now, but it’s also an important test of character heading into next week as we face Lille and Arsenal.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Brentford:
Emi Martínez, 6 – Left badly exposed by his defence for all three goals, not a lot he could do on his return to the XI. Didn’t have much to do over the course of the game, but swept up well when needed and distribution was accurate.
Ezri Konsa, 5.5 – Brentford’s threat continuously came down our right side, as Konsa went from looking comfortable and commanding to being targeted and under pressure. We have to defend better moving forward with limited options at right-back.
Diego Carlos, 6 – Looked imposing in the first half as he won duels and made an important intervention on a Brentford break. However, similar to the rest of the backline, looked all at sea during that nine-minute capitulation.
Pau Torres, 5.5 – Composed and helped us control possession in the first half, but as Brentford raised their intensity and came storming back, his defending in the box was really poor. Will have a lot to assess watching this one back.
Lucas Digne, 5.5 – Did well for the most part but we simply weren’t good enough as a defensive unit. Went close with a late effort that could have won it, but will be disappointed we couldn’t shut up shop at the back.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Looked a threat whenever he had the ball at his feet and was able to drive at the Brentford defenders, even when they doubled up on him. Created the opportunity for Watkins to salvage a point.
Youri Tielemans, 6 – Looks better playing closer to Watkins in the final third, but was positive in the first half and added an assist to find Rogers, but as Villa began to wilt under a more aggressive press from the visitors, our midfield really struggled to get a hold of the game.
Douglas Luiz, 6 – Tidy and accurate with his distribution, but without ever really picking enough holes in the Brentford defensive shape. His late, late yellow card will now see him miss games against Arsenal and Bournemouth due to suspension.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Took his goal really well as he showed a great touch and finish to double our lead straight out of the gate in the second half. Worked hard and showed determination with his effort off the ball too.
John McGinn, 7 – Surprisingly used in the advanced No.10 role rather than in midfield, and he was impressive and impactful as usual. Gave us a foothold with his energy and tenacity, and produced the assist for Watkins’ first goal with a brilliant cross.
Ollie Watkins, 8 – Offered a different kind of threat in this one, as with Brentford defending deep and in numbers, he didn’t have space to exploit in the final third. Instead, showed great physicality and aerial prowess to head home his brace as he showed his class on his return from injury.
Substitutes:
Nicolo Zaniolo, 5 – Lacked an end product to help us find a way back into the game after coming on, but his energy and directness did reinvigorate our play.
Alex Moreno, N/A
Jhon Duran, N/A
Moussa Diaby, N/A