Aston Villa let a hard-won lead slip at Villa Park as Brentford left Birmingham with a 2-2 draw, keeping Unai Emery’s side in the lower reaches after six league matches. Villa had fought back from an early setback and looked set to build on their first win before the international break, but Kristoffer Ajer’s late reply ensured another frustrating afternoon.
Key takeaways
- Brentford remain unbeaten and sit fourth after taking a point from Birmingham.
- Villa are 14th, with only one victory from their opening six fixtures.
- Yegor Yarmolyuk gave the visitors a 10th-minute lead following Igor Thiago’s work down the left.
- Nicolas Jackson levelled within two minutes for Villa after Emiliano Buendía’s mishit effort became an assist.
- John McGinn put Villa ahead late on, only for Ajer to restore parity two minutes later.
Villa’s recovery proves insufficient
Emery’s team had arrived with a little more air in their lungs after beating bottom club Tottenham 3-2 before the break, their first league success of the campaign. There was no follow-up win here, though, against a Brentford side under Keith Andrews which has made a brisk, unbeaten start.
The visitors struck first after 10 minutes. Igor Thiago drove the move from the left and, after Victor Lindelöf’s clearance, the ball fell for Yarmolyuk, who finished to give Brentford the advantage.
Villa’s response was almost immediate. John McGinn supplied Buendía, whose attempted shot did not come off cleanly but ran invitingly to Jackson. The forward made no mistake, bringing the hosts level just two minutes after they had fallen behind.
A late swing, then another familiar sting
The match appeared to have turned Villa’s way with 15 minutes remaining. Johan Manzambi created the opening for McGinn, who struck from inside the penalty area to beat Caoimhín Kelleher for Villa’s second.
Yet the lead lasted only two minutes. Ajer took matters into his own hands, producing an individual move before finding the finish that made it 2-2.
For Brentford, the result preserves both their unbeaten record and their place in the top four. Villa, meanwhile, remain 14th and some distance from the level Emery’s side had hoped to reach, with the table offering little comfort after another afternoon when a lead could not be protected.
