Aston Villa 2-2 Brentford: result and report

Report

Aston Villa and Brentford drew 2-2. Villa had the better of the chances, though, and will see this as a home win that got away.

How the goals came

The scoring came in two quick bursts. Yegor Yarmolyuk put Brentford ahead on 10 minutes, but the lead lasted only until Nicolas Jackson equalised on 12.

The game then stayed level until the closing stages. John McGinn scored from Johan Manzambi's pass on 77 minutes to put Aston Villa in front for the first time. Brentford answered almost immediately, because Kristoffer Ajer scored from Jaidon Anthony's assist on 79. Each side gave up a lead within two minutes of taking it.

Aston Villa: the better chances

Villa had the stronger case on performance, even though the scoreline finished level. They had the higher xG, 13 shots to Brentford's 11 and seven on target to Brentford's four. They also made 14 key passes to Brentford's nine.

Brentford's saves tell the same story. They made five to Villa's three, so Villa tested them more often than Brentford tested Villa. Villa's average pressure was also higher across the match, which fits that picture. Jackson, named player of the match, was central to the evening's best spell for Villa because his equaliser came almost straight after Brentford had gone ahead.

Brentford: still a real threat

The gap was narrower than the shot count suggests, though. Big chances finished level at three apiece, and each side missed two of them.

So while Villa created more overall, Brentford were not simply hanging on. They had enough clear openings to make their two goals a reasonable return.