Burnley brought out their smash and grab game once again to complete back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.
Despite being dominated by Aston Villa, they twice came from behind to take the points at Turf Moor as headed goals from Ben Mee and Chris Wood sandwiched Dwight McNeil’s inadvertent equaliser.
Villa must be sick of the sight of the Lancashire club and in particular their England goalkeeper Nick Pope.
In the reverse fixture last month, they registered 27 shots on goal - the second-highest shot count posted by one team in a game this season - and had to settle for a point.
This time, Burnley’s best player kept them to goals in either half from Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish.
Burnley’s confidence is at its season’s high point following last week’s historic win at Anfield and a comprehensive dispatch of Fulham in the FA Cup.
However, they were without the scorer of the goal that ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten league run at home with Ashley Barnes failing a late fitness check. It was the same story for Charlie Taylor, and so Sean Dyche drafted in Jay Rodriguez and Erik Pieters.
Aston Villa knew that winning their games in hand would propel them above Liverpool in the table, a sign of their progress under Dean Smith. Another one came on the eve of this contest via the arrival of ex-France Under-21 midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille in a deal worth up to £15.5million.
Villa knew the kind of evening they were in for. ‘We’re at Turf Moor, so obviously our striker has been on the end of a dreadful challenge. Tarkowski goes into the book,’ read a tweet from their Twitter account.
That challenge midway through the first half came eight minutes after Ollie Watkins put the visitors ahead with his eighth goal of the season.
He had gone nine top-flight matches without one until Saturday’s against Newcastle but the sublime finish suggested no lack of confidence.
Matt Targett slid the ball across the greasy penalty area and Watkins glided to the near post to provide a deft touch which feathered it into the far corner.
It came during a first half in which Villa one again peppered Pope’s goal.
Drives from Watkins and Jack Grealish were hauled down from above his head either side of the Watkins opener, and he excelled himself to keep the score at 1-0 during a stirring finish to the first half from the visitors.
Watkins’ heavy touch from John McGinn’s piercing pass from deep allowed the England goalkeeper to block the subsequent shot with his chest and Ross Barkley’s volley from the rebound hit the top of the crossbar.
Seconds later, after Mee did all he could to keep his arms by his sides in blocking a goal bound Grealish effort, Pope was down at his left-hand post to divert a Tyrone Mings shot for a corner.
And there was still enough time on the clock for him to emerge at his other upright to kick off the line from Matt Targett.
Having totally dominated, however, Villa were pegged back from Burnley’s first corner of the match following a more aggressive start to the second period.
Ashley Westwood swung over a deep corner and Mee rose to nod in.
When Jack Grealish struck the winner here last January, it was to lift his beloved Aston Villa out of the relegation.
This time it appeared he was shooting them towards the European places when he embarked on a one-two with Douglas Luiz and slid in from 10 yards.
What happened next, though, left Dean Smith’s team shellshocked.
With just under a quarter of an hour remaining, McNeil curled in a cross from the left flank that evaded everyone and crept inside the post.
They had not recovered when McNeil turned provider, picking out Chris Wood, who managed to get just enough power into a perfectly-directed header to complete a second heist inside a week.
Sleek_savage
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Aston Villa lost and Chelsea Drew....Arsenal is climbing the table!!!