Tammy Abraham: tammy abraham relishing Villa return after 1-1 draw with Leeds
tammy abraham came off the bench to score an 88th-minute equaliser as Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United. The 28-year-old’s late goal came after he had been on the pitch for 13 minutes and kept Villa’s fans and manager dreaming of more.
Tammy Abraham's late equaliser for Villa
Seven years after firing Aston Villa into the Premier League, Tammy Abraham guided the ball with his knee into the net to level the match in the 88th minute. It was the 28-year-old’s second goal since returning to the club following his £18. 2m move from Besiktas in January; his other strike was in the 3-1 FA Cup loss to Newcastle seven days earlier.
Abraham is an 11-time England international and has history of scoring for Villa: he netted 25 times in 37 Championship games to help the club win promotion in 2018-19 during a loan spell from Chelsea. After that spell with Villa he spent two seasons at Chelsea, three at Roma, one on loan at AC Milan and another loan at Besiktas. The Turkish club bought him and then immediately sold him to Villa for a profit.
On the touchline and in the mixed zone Abraham said: "It feels like a dream to come back and play for this club again. I'm happy to be here and bring extra energy. " He added: "I had to sniff around the box, be alert, be ready. Luckily for us, I got the goal - it was in front of some of the best supporters in the world. " Asked whether the squad feel like title contenders, Abraham said: "Who knows what can happen? We are not too far from Arsenal who are at the top. Unfortunately today we didn't get the win but we just have to keep pushing. " He also said: "I'm happy to be back home. I just need to find myself a house!"
Anton Stach's 35-yard free-kick
The visitors had taken the lead through Anton Stach, who scored with a sumptuous free-kick from 35 yards that completely caught out Emi Martinez and was described as a goal of the season contender. That strike put Leeds ahead until Abraham’s late intervention.
During the game Lukas Nmecha nearly doubled Leeds' advantage when he dived to meet a superb cross from Jayden Bogle, but Martinez got across well to stop his header. That Martinez save proved crucial after other moments in the match, including Ollie Watkins putting one straight at Karl Darlow and Amadou Onana having a point-blank effort kept out by the Leeds keeper.
Match ratings and player of match
Player ratings were provided for both sides. Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen, Onana, Luiz, Bailey, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins. Subs: Barkley, Abraham, Garcia, Bogarde.
Leeds: Darlow, Justin, Rodon, Struijk, Bogle, Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Stach, Gruev, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin. Subs: Nmecha, Bijol. Player of the Match: Stach.
League impact and Emery reaction
Despite Abraham’s late equaliser, third-placed Villa have now dropped seven points from their past four matches and sit seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal with 11 games to go. Some supporters booed the team off at half-time when they were trailing 1-0.
Unai Emery, who has consistently talked down his side’s chances of winning the league and last month said even a top-five position could be beyond them, reminded supporters the club were enjoying a strong campaign. He said: "We are at a beautiful and fantastic moment to compete in two competitions for the remainder of the season. It is the moment to show our wishes and follow our dreams. "
Emery also reflected on the draw in broader terms: "We can see it in two ways. One way is losing two points at home. How we were feeling here, so, so strong, it was so difficult for teams to get points here, beaten the best teams in the league, Arsenal and Man City. Now, four matches at home. We won against Brighton but Everton and Brentford we lost and we draw. And then there is overall, how we are in the table after 27th match [in Premier League]. We can analyse it all. In minute 90, we were thinking to get two more points. After 10 minutes, the only objective was to win. Accept this point was a good point. Keep going forward, improving. "
Leeds’ resurgence under Daniel Farke was noted: since the start of December they have lost just two of their 14 Premier League games. Leeds remain in 15th place after picking up a point. Despite missing an opportunity for maximum points, Unai Emery's side actually maintained their advantage in third on the team in fourth because Chelsea could only draw at home to Burnley. Villa have won 19 points from losing positions this Premier League season, more than any other team.
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Tammy Abraham’s late intervention ensured a 1-1 draw between Aston Villa and Leeds United, with Anton Stach’s 35-yard free-kick and the detailed player ratings among the match’s defining elements.
