Aston Villa’s bid for fourth place took a hit as Brentford staged a stunning comeback with three quick goals in a thrilling 3-3 draw at Villa Park in the Premier League on Saturday.
The result leaves Villa in fourth position with 60 points, just three ahead of Tottenham, who have two games in hand.
Brentford, on the other hand, sits in 16th place with 29 points, four points clear of the relegation zone after extending their winless streak to nine games.
“We lacked that big team mentality where they kill games off which is really disappointing,” commented Ollie Watkins, who salvaged a point for Villa with a brace.
“There is a lot of football to be played. We’re battling with Tottenham who have got a great squad. It’s going to be tight. We need to win the next six games.”
Villa dominated possession in the first half, but Brentford’s resilient defense held firm until Watkins broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. However, Brentford responded strongly in the second half, scoring three goals in quick succession to take the lead.
“Big praise [for the team] to come back and lead 3-2. And then they [Villa] score from a deflected cross. If they didn’t score, then I’m sure we would have won,” said Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Despite Villa’s valiant efforts to equalize, neither side could find a late winner, leaving Villa Park stunned by the dramatic turn of events.
Villa’s next challenge will be without Douglas Luiz, who received his 10th yellow card of the season and will miss the clash against Arsenal.
“It’s frustrating,” Watkins added. “We need to somehow figure out when we’re 2-0 up how to just shut up shop.”