Evanilson’s header in the last seconds of stoppage time stunned Aston Villa and earned Bournemouth a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.
Ross Barkley had finally broken Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers’ resistance to seemingly give Villa the three points, but fellow substitute Evanilson had the final say in the 96th minute, nodding in a left-wing free-kick to silence the home support.
Travers, in for the injured Kepa Arrizabalaga, had been the star for much of the show, saving superbly from Amadou Onana and Ezri Konsa in the first half, and Pau Torres and Ollie Watkins in the second, but needed help from VAR to deny John McGinn the opener.
Watkins thought he had kept the ball in and the assistant agreed, allowing the Villa skipper to curl home, but slow-motion replays revealed all of the ball had crossed the line. It did not seem to matter for Villa when Barkley bundled in after the break.
That sparked Bournemouth into action and Matty Cash was fortunate not to concede a penalty when lunging in on Antoine Semenyo, before Leon Bailey escaped a handball against him soon after. But, just as Villa were set to hang on, up popped Evanilson.
Player of the match: Mark Travers
Kepa’s injury presented an opportunity for Travers to make only his second appearance of the season, the previous coming when the on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper was ineligible to face his parent club. He responded with a player-of-the-match performance.
The save to deny Onana in the first half was superb and while the stops to deny Konsa, Torres and Watkins might have been expected, they were a testament to his agility – and his readiness to seize this opportunity. The Bournemouth supporters chanted his name.
“He kept us in the game in some difficult moments,” said Andoni Iraola afterwards. “Kepa had a small injury, his left adductor, he could not kick the ball properly, and it did not make sense to take a risk when we have two goalkeepers.” And one as capable as Travers.
Iraola reveals secret to equaliser
“I am that happy we scored a goal in the last moments to recover a point in a difficult place, a difficult game. I think we did not play well, they played better than us. We played the game they wanted us to play, but we competed very well.”
Iraola praised the impact of the substitutes in turning the game their way in the final minutes, saying: “The substitutes gave us another energy and we finished well in the last 15 or 20 minutes.”
Keeping the ball away from Emiliano Martinez was key to Marcus Tavernier’s late assist, with Iraola adding: “Emi was claiming everything, every aerial duel, so we focused more on the first post to have more of a chance. Evanilson made the most it because it was not an easy header.”
Emery frustrated by late slip
“We played a fantastic game, we were very demanding. Our mentality is to be in the top seven in the table and to get a lot of points. We deserved (to win). We played dominant and imposing.
“If I wanted to play this match again, the plan would be the same. We controlled the first 30 minutes perfectly, very good pressing, got into their box and did not concede a lot in the first half.
“The second half, we started the game better, created more chances, did not concede anything, scored the goal, and after, the match changed. They were playing with fresh players and after 1-0 were pushing to get into our box. We conceded more (corners) than normal.
“We needed the defence to be focused 100 per cent and being strong like we normally are. We are frustrated because we play to win. There is still work to do because we are trying to get a strong mentality, tactically and emotionally. We did not control it. This is something we have to learn.”
