Tammy Abraham was Aston Villa’s match-winner after a breathless finish kept Unai Emery on course for a return to the Champions League.
It was a victory that opened up a 10-point gap between Villa and Chelsea in sixth place. But that does not tell the whole story.
Villa appeared to have allowed a two-goal lead to slip as Sunderland staged a late comeback to bring the game back to 3-3, thanks to goals from Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor. Both goals came from mistakes from substitute Jadon Sancho, who had only been on the field for six minutes.
But Abraham, and goalkeeper keeper Emiliano Martínez, spared his blushes and rescued the points. Habib Diarra was one-on-one with the Argentine as he prepared to score the visitors’ fourth of the game but Martínez made a fingertip save to keep Villa in it.
And moments later, Lucas Digne provided the cross for Abraham to rescue the points for Emery.
Earlier, Ollie Watkins appeared to have set up a comfortable victory for Villa with two headed goals, as he sent out yet another message to England manager Thomas Tuchel. After being left out of Tuchel’s England squad once more last month, the Villa striker has the World Cup in his sights after scoring six goals in his last five games to bring his season’s tally to 15.
As well as that, he set up Morgan Rogers for Villa’s third goal just after the break.
After reaching the 100-goal mark for the club against Bologna on Thursday, Watkins needed less than two minutes to make it 101 – and he is now the club’s 10th highest goalscorer.
But Villa were pegged back just seven minutes later by a Sunderland side searching for a third successive win. Chris Rigg, 18, curled a superb finish into the far corner after Noah Sadiki’s lay off from Diarra’s cross. Not only was it his first of the season, it was his first in the Premier League – making him the third youngest player to score for the club at this level.
Amadou Onana then headed against the crossbar from a John McGinn corner, and Brian Brobbey had to clear off the line. Watkins was on target again nine minutes before the break.
Ian Maatsen made space on the left from Rogers’ pass, wriggled through the Sunderland defence, and provided the ball for Watkins to head home again from close range.
But even with Villa apparently coasting, Emery was not prepared to let his team sit back. And Sunderland showed him why.
Villa started the half in ideal fashion with McGinn and Ross Barkley setting up the move that saw Watkins find Rogers to score – and seemingly put the game beyond doubt.
But as the minutes ticked down, Sancho allowed himself to be robbed and Hume nipped in top to score from a tight angle. Incredibly, Sunderland were level less than a minute later. Enzo Le Fée pounced on an uncertain Sancho and supplied Isidor who calmly slotted home, before Abraham had the final say.
