Duran Duran: Substitute bags two late goals in Villa thriller with Liverpool
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Substitute Jhon Duran was a late savior for Aston Villa on Monday, scoring twice in the last five minutes against Liverpool to grab a remarkable 3-3 home draw and edge his team closer to next year’s Champions League.
Watched by Villa fan Tom Hanks, who was in the ground in a claret tracksuit top, Villa played its part in a thrilling match in front of a packed house that Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp described as “rocking.”
A win would have confirmed a place in the English Premier League top four for Unai Emery’s side and a place in the European Cup for the first time since 1983.
But the home side went behind in the second minute with a bizarre own goal from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and although Youri Tielemans equalized soon after, goals from Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put Liverpool in the driving seat.
Until Duran’s appearance after 79 minutes.
The Colombian scored in the 85th and 88th, the second an astonishing lob executed on the run that sent Villa and its supporters wild with joy.
“We created chances but we didn’t score,” Tielemans told broadcaster Sky Sports. “We got the draw and fought right until the end and that’s the most important thing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t score more, we felt like we deserved more in the first half. It’s unlucky but we’ll take the draw.”
