Aston Villa secured a late comeback against Liverpool on Monday night, seeing Unai Emery sing the praises of one of his players after the draw.
It was a tense night for Aston Villa, who had the opportunity to secure Champions League football with a win against Liverpool.
The Villans went behind after just two minutes thanks to an Emi Martinez blunder, seeing the goalkeeper set an unwanted Premier League record by claiming the opener.
While Youri Tielemans got one back just 10 minutes later, Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah extended Liverpool’s lead to two goals until late, with Villa losing all hope as they trailed 3-1 in the 85th minute.
That was until Jhon Duran took it upon himself to earn the hosts a much-needed point for their efforts, as the Colombian netted two goals in three minutes to see the game end in a draw.
The 20-year-old rightly received an abundance of praise as Aston Villa fans reacted to his performance, with Unai Emery sharing an interesting insight into the striker after the fixture.
Unai Emery says Jhon Duran has improved in one key area after Liverpool draw
Scoring two goals during his 11-minute and seven-touch cameo was exactly what Duran could have hoped for when entering the game as a substitute.
The Colombia international has had to wait for his turn to impress throughout the season, falling short to Ollie Watkins in the bid to become Villa’s favoured number nine.
For all of the youngster’s work this term, Emery praised his forward’s ability to improve one key area of his game, with the results seen against the Reds, as relayed by BBC Sport.
“Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy and he needs a team behind him.
“He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him.”
Jhon Duran is an interesting character
After his two goals against Liverpool on Monday night, captain John McGinn revealed that Duran is actually ‘a nightmare’ to play with, which can be understood in some light.
Earlier in the campaign, journalist Jacob Tanswell described the £18m arrival as being Villa’s ‘erratic entertainer’, a label that makes a lot of sense to those who watch Duran frequently.
Scoring twice to earn a point against Liverpool would have been the dream scenario for the striker, who has had his fair share of dramas at Villa Park, most notably his social media antics amid transfer speculation last year.
If things are ticking on the pitch for Duran, the player and the club are happy, with Emery hinting at the 20-year-old’s improvement in seeing the bigger picture through understanding the ‘demands’ of the team better.
It’s poised to be an interesting summer for the youngster, whose future at Villa could be in doubt leading up to the transfer window however, he certainly showed what he can offer the Villans when at full focus on Monday night.
