Douglas Luiz praised Jhon Duran for his Man of the Match performance during Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
With less than five minutes left on the clock, Aston Villa were heading towards their first home defeat since February.
But substitute Jhon Duran sparked a stunning fightback when his devastating half-volley in the 87th minute was fired past Sam Johnstone in between the sticks in a brutal fashion.
That moment of brilliance from the 19-year-old left Douglas Luiz in shock as he told Birmingham Live that ‘I couldn’t believe it’.
After that moment of brilliance from Duran, it was Douglas Luiz’s time to step up in the 98th minute when he converted a penalty, before Leon Bailey sealed the late and morale-boosting comeback for Unai Emery’s side.
After a topsy-turvy start to the new season, that was a much-needed win and it is very much character-building heading into Europe next week.
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Luiz praises Duran
“He is so good, and so young,” said Luiz. “I couldn’t believe that goal.”
Christian Benteke re-born
That half-volley from Duran screamed Christian Benteke because the young gun is showing so much promise and quality.
A prime Benteke in this currently thriving and ever-growing Villa team would be deadly.
Well, fans should get pretty excited that we have someone in Duran who is providing those vibes because, with Emery as his manager, he is going to grow into a top, top performer.
And it needs to be remembered that Duran is still a teenager, so that should only fuel the excitement levels with fans even further.