Aston Villa climb to second with last-gasp win over Burnley
To say the opening stages of this game were entertaining would be a far cry from the truth, but with the incentive of taking a joint lead of the PL, Villa eventually wrestled a stranglehold on proceedings.
There were few prizes on offer for guessing who was at the heart of it - Ollie Watkins - but he could only direct a fierce volley into the grateful hands of James Trafford.
Villa pressure was incessant at times, but while they still hadn’t taken the lead, the door was gently ajar for Burnley, who almost burst through it when Josh Brownhill twice came close.
The Clarets were left to rue those missed opportunities just moments later too, when Watkins squared for Leon Bailey to fire the hosts ahead.
That only proved to be a temporary advantage for Villa though, who were soon pegged back after Zeki Amdouni thundered home Dara O’Shea’s knockdown from close range to silence Villa Park.
But as has so often proved to be the case for Burnley this season, they threw away their reprieve in typically calamitous circumstances.
One long pass from back to front took out the whole Clarets defence and Watkins laid the ball on a plate for Diaby to fire Villa into a half-time lead.
It would be fair to say the opening exchanges in the second half went the way of Burnley, who were starting to build up a head of steam - one that was quickly extinguished when Sander Berge was shown a second yellow card.
It was copy-and-paste stuff as far as Villa were concerned, raining ball after ball into the Burnley box, but for all their pressure, it was the Clarets who incredibly forced their way back into the game.
That goal held so much meaning too, as Lyle Foster broke in behind and slammed home at the near post - his first goal since returning from a mental health lay-off.
Frustration around Villa Park was audible after that equaliser, with Emery himself also looking visibly shaken in response to the moans and groans from the Villa faithful.
That didn’t deter the players, who pushed and probed for a winner which ultimately arrived in the dying moments when Douglas Luiz stroked home from the penalty spot, breaking Burnley hearts and securing Villa a share of the PL lead.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
