It looked for all the world as though Aston Villa were going to end their final home game of the season disappointed as they trailed 3-1 to Liverpool with five minutes remaining on Monday night.
Then Jhon Duran made his mark on the Premier League, netting twice in four minutes to inspire a famous comeback which saw the game finish 3-3.
Prior to the late brace at Villa Park, the 20-year-old had scored just three Premier League goals this season, but the Colombian bagged twice in a game that will be spoken about amongst the Villa faithful for years to come.
The point was not enough to secure Champions League football on the night as everyone of a Villa contingent had hoped would be the case.
However, Unai Emery was quick to point out to the club’s fans post-match that this situation is something they could only have dreamt of at the start of the campaign.
- READ MORE: ‘A man possessed’: Journalist claims £120k-a-week Aston Villa star was absolutely everywhere v Liverpool
Unai Emery shares emotions with Aston Villa crowd
The thrilling comeback meant that Villa’s players and staff could enjoy the lap of appreciation that marked their final home game of the season.
The club have been on a whirlwind journey this season, with a run to the Europa Conference League semi-final and a very real possibility of bringing Champions League football to Villa Park in 2024/25.
Emery has masterminded all of that and the Spanish coach spoke passionately to his adoring fans to end the lap of appreciation.
Villa reporter John Townley relayed what Emery told the fans within Villa Park, posting on ‘X’:
“We’ve enjoyed the season with a lot of emotion. You [fans] gave us energy and passion. A dream at the start of the season was to be on the last day with the possibility to get the Champions League. UP THE VILLA!”
What Villa now need to happen to secure Champions League football
The point against Liverpool does not make a material difference to what Villa need to secure a place in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since the 1982/83 season.
Anyone associated with the midlands club will be watching on nervously tomorrow night, as they know that if Tottenham Hotspur fail to beat Manchester City then they are a Champions League side.
If Spurs do pull off an unlikely victory over City, then the race for fourth will go down to the wire.
That would leave Tottenham two points behind Villa, with Emery’s side boasting the superior goal difference. Spurs beating City would mean that Ange Postecoglou’s team shave at least one goal off of the current eight they are trailing Villa by.
On Sunday, Villa travel to face an in-form Crystal Palace who have won five of their last six games and drawing the other, whilst Spurs face already-relegated Sheffield United.
To put a fourth-place finish beyond all doubt Villa simply have to beat Palace on the final day.
A draw should be enough, but given Sheffield United have lost 8-0, 6-0 and 5-0 a remarkable four times this season, Villa fans will not be in the fortunate enough position of trusting the Blades not to suffer a heavy defeat.
As Emery told the Villa crowd, Champions League football is still very much in their hands and that is all they could have asked for.
