Aston Villa fought back from 2-0 down to beat Red Bull Salzburg and finish second in the Europa League league phase, but Ollie Watkins was forced off to compound their injury issues.
2025/2026 UEFA Europa League
3-2
Match Report
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba's first Villa goal earned a late victory for the hosts, who had already qualified for the last 16, at Villa Park.
Karim Konate and Moussa Yeo had put the visitors in charge, before Morgan Rogers cut the deficit and Tyrone Mings levelled with 15 minutes remaining, before 19-year-old Jimoh-Aloba struck late on.
However, striker Watkins came off with a hamstring problem and could now join the injured John McGinn and Youri Tielemans on the sidelines, with Boubacar Kamara already out for the season.
Villa's injury woes meant Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott came in from the cold for his first appearance in almost four months.
He nearly scored within 30 seconds, only for the diving Alexander Schlager to make a fortunate stop with his heel, before the visitors took control.
Emi Martinez made a double save to deny Soumaila Diabate and Konate before Villa conceded a calamitous opener.
Mings was robbed by Edmund Baidoo and Konate's awful shot with the goal gaping looked to be going wide before being turned in by Victor Lindelof.
Within four minutes of the restart substitute Yeo flicked in Salzburg's second, but Rogers pulled a goal back just after the hour - after Sota Kitano should have made it 3-0 - and Mings atoned for his error by heading in with 14 minutes left.
Substitute Jimoh-Aloba then grabbed an 87th-minute winner when he found the corner from 15 yards.
Match Events
33' GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Salzburg (Karim Konaté)
48' GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Salzburg
64' GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 Salzburg (Morgan Rogers)
76' GOAL! Aston Villa 2-2 Salzburg (Tyrone Mings)
87' GOAL! Aston Villa 3-2 Salzburg (Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba)
Line-ups
Aston Villa XI: E. Martinez, Lindelof, Digne, Mings, Ollie Watkins, Buendia, Sancho, Amadou Onana, Elliott, Lamare Bogarde, George Hemmings
Subs: Marco Bizot, P. Torres, Ngoyo, Matty Cash, Morgan Rogers, Maatsen, James Wright, Kadan Young, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba
Salzburg XI: Alexander Schlager, Mads Bidstrup, Frans Krätzig, Karim Konaté, Sota Kitano, Tim Trummer, Jannik Schuster, Soumaïla Diabaté, Joane Gadou, Kerim Alajbegovic, Edmund Baidoo
Subs: Lainer, Onisiwo, Jacob Rasmussen, Aleksa Terzic, Maurits Kjaergaard, Mamady Diambou, Moussa Yeo, Christian Zawieschitzky, Oliver Lukic, Salko Hamzic, Clement Bischoff, Enrique Aguilar