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Villa's Late Comeback Seals Europa League Top Two
30 Jan
Summary
- Aston Villa secured second place in the Europa League group.
- Youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba scored the late winning goal.
- Ollie Watkins suffered a potential hamstring injury during the match.
Aston Villa secured their Europa League group's second spot with a dramatic 3-2 victory over RB Salzburg at Villa Park. The hosts came from two goals behind, with substitute Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba scoring the decisive goal in the 87th minute, his first for the club. This win marks Villa's seventh in eight group stage matches, but the celebration was tempered by an injury to striker Ollie Watkins, who was forced off with a suspected hamstring issue.
Salzburg had taken the lead through Karim Konate in the 33rd minute after a defensive error, and Moussa Yeo doubled their advantage shortly after halftime. However, Villa mounted a spirited second-half comeback. Morgan Rogers halved the deficit before Tyrone Mings atoned for his earlier mistake by scoring the equalizer. Jimoh-Aloba then completed the turnaround with his late winner.
Manager Unai Emery expressed hope regarding Watkins' injury, stating that testing would reveal more, but he could not confirm availability for the upcoming Sunday fixture. The match also saw Harvey Elliott start for the first time since October, with his future at the club still uncertain.
