Aston Villa secured a 3-2 win against RB Leipzig after Ross Barkley and John Duran impressed from the bench.
Duran started his outing with a long-range effort in the second half (52) before Barkley won the game in the 85th minute, but Unai Emery once again called for patience from his young forward following another strong spell.
“Sometimes he’s very impatient,” Emery said Amazon Prime after Duran scored and saw the second goal disallowed: “He was fantastic today and has huge potential. Tactically he is improving.”
Villa moved up to third in the table thanks to Barkley’s late winner, while Leipzig missed their chance to register their first points in the competition this season and can no longer progress to the knockout stages.
How Villa secured a crucial victory
John McGinn gave Villa a flying start after three minutes after heading the ball past Peter Gulaci, and his side looked to be in full control until a rare error from Emiliano Martinez gave Leipzig an equaliser.
The Villa keeper let the ball bounce into the penalty area where Lois Openda was waiting and could only watch as the forward rounded him and slotted the ball into the empty net.
Ollie Watkins, who assisted his captain in the opener, slotted the ball into the back of the net but saw it disallowed for offside in what would be his last involvement of the game.
He was replaced by Duran at half-time and the Colombia international wouldn’t need his usual influence for long as he curled a stunning long-range shot over Gulaci’s head.
Christoph Baumgartner’s equalizer deserved to give the hosts their first point in Europe, but they were denied the chance after Barkley came on, who then had a speculative effort from distance only to see it bounce after a misdirected deflection.
A vital goal that secured a crucial win for Villa, from jumping out of the top eight to finishing in a nice third place.
Barkley: Subs need to make an impact, I’m happy to help
Aston Villa game winner Ross Barkley talking to Amazon Prime:
“That’s the role of the bench guys. I’m happy to come off the bench and score the winner. He’s causing chaos and we’ve got two top forwards fighting for a starting role. It’s great to have :
Duran: I love the rivalry with Watkins
Aston Villa striker John Duran talking to Amazon Prime:
“I’m happy to be here and I’m actually loving the competition I have with Ollie Watkins. When it’s my turn, I’m hoping to score to help the team. I’m happy.
“We’re so happy to be in the standings. We’re ecstatic.”
Ross Barkley secured Aston Villa’s latest win
Duran cannot be overlooked
Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe.
It feels like there has been a shift at Villa over the past week, and not just in terms of results.
With his winning goal against Southampton and a game on the bench against Leipzig, Duran is no longer just knocking on the door.
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Aston Villa vs Southampton Premier League Highlights
As Barkley rightly pointed out, it’s a good problem for Emery to have, but with Watkins having a “small injury,” now is a great time to give Duran a long run in the team to see what he’s really capable of.
McGinn: We want to continue
Aston Villa captain John McGee talking to Amazon Prime:
“The two goals we conceded were really disappointing. They’re a good team at home, we knew they were going to be a threat.
“Overall we were the better team and could have scored a few more goals. We needed the players to come out and make an impact.
“We had disappointing results after a great start. It’s surreal, but we want to keep going.”
