Evanilson the villain as Bournemouth strike late to steal draw at Villa
Having secured a third consecutive UEFA Champions League victory in midweek, Villa looked full of confidence in the early stages.
Amadou Onana saw a close-range header superbly saved by Mark Travers, while John McGinn’s curled finish was ruled out by VAR after Ollie Watkins failed to keep the ball in play.
Grateful for that reprieve, Bournemouth came close to a breakthrough against the run of play, with Justin Kluivert’s effort from range smartly saved by Emiliano Martinez.
Chances continued to flow at both ends of the pitch as HT loomed, and the best opportunity fell to Ezri Konsa, whose powerful effort was expertly tipped around the post by the impressive Travers.
Determined to make their pressure count, the hosts came flying out the blocks in the second half, with Youri Tielemans’ goalbound effort blocked by Ryan Christie.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down as Travers came to Bournemouth’s rescue once again, standing firm to deny Pau Torres and Watkins in quick succession.
The contest remained tantalisingly poised heading into the final 15 minutes, and Villa’s persistence was finally rewarded when Leon Bailey’s knock-down was slotted into the bottom corner by substitute Ross Barkley.
That goal looked to be the difference between the two sides, but the Cherries refused to give up hope, and snatched a dramatic leveller in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Evanilson glanced Marcus Tavernier’s free-kick into the far corner to deny Villa victory at the death.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
