Coming from behind to hold Liverpool 3-3 in round 37, Aston Villa is firmly in fourth place, with five points ahead of Tottenham before the final round of the Premier League.

Trailing 1-3 until the 85th minute, Aston Villa managed to secure a point at Villa Park thanks to a double from substitute Jhon Duran in the final five minutes. The team under Unai Emery currently stands fourth with 68 points, five points ahead of Tottenham. Aston Villa will officially secure a spot in next season’s Champions League if Tottenham fails to win against Man City in the rescheduled match of round 34 today.

The ball touched Jhon Duran’s thigh (middle) and then bounced into Liverpool’s net, helping Aston Villa equalize 3-3 in the late match of round 37 of the Premier League at Villa Park.

In the event of a win against Man City, Tottenham would narrow the gap with Aston Villa to two points. They still need to defeat the relegated club Sheffield United while hoping Aston Villa loses against Crystal Palace in the final round, in order to finish fourth.

The latest match of round 37 at Villa Park on May 13th unfolded with an entertaining end-to-end battle. Liverpool opened the scoring right from the first attack in the second minute, as Harvey Elliott crossed from the right flank deflecting off defender Pau Torres and surprising World Cup 2022 champion Emiliano Martinez, who inadvertently pushed the ball into his own net.

At 61 seconds, this became the earliest own goal in Premier League history, surpassing Antolin Alcaraz’s own goal just 54 seconds into the Everton vs Southampton match in April 2014. This also marked Martinez’s third own goal in the Premier League – the worst record for any goalkeeper in the league’s history.

Martinez was so startled that he missed the ball and pushed the ball into the net for Liverpool’s first goal

At the 12th and 23rd minutes, Youri Tielemans unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box to equalize, and then Cody Gakpo tapped into an empty net to restore Liverpool’s lead. These were the 1,195th and 1,196th goals of this Premier League season, making it the second-highest scoring season in the league’s history, only behind the 1992-1993 season with 1,222 goals.

In the 48th minute, Elliott took a free-kick, allowing center-back Jarell Quansah to head the ball into the far corner, hitting the post and going into the net, leaving Martinez rooted to the spot. Afterward, both teams continuously squandered good scoring opportunities, and the difference came in the 85th minute. Following a turnover just outside the penalty area by Alexis Mac Allister, substitute Jhon Duran struck a low left-footed shot into the far corner, reducing the deficit to 2-3.

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran finished, shortening the score to 2-3 in the 83rd minute for Aston Villa

Three minutes later, Moussa Diaby cut into the center and passed the ball, which deflected off Duran’s thigh, wrong-footing Alisson Becker. The goal, which tied the score at 3-3, was credited to Duran, making him the first substitute to score a brace against Liverpool in the Premier League since Leroy Sane (Man City) in September 2017.

On May 19th, Liverpool will return to their home ground, Anfield, to face Wolves in their final match under Jurgen Klopp.