Aston Villa Edge Leipzig 3-2, Near Champions League Last 16

Aston Villa secured a crucial 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig, all but sealing their place in the Champions League knockout stages. Ross Barkley’s late deflected strike gave Villa the win after Leipzig had twice come from behind. Villa took the lead early with John McGinn scoring from close range after Ollie Watkins headed down Matty Cash’s cross in the third minute. Watkins could have added a second but missed an opportunity soon after.

Leipzig responded when Emiliano Martínez misjudged a long ball allowing Lois Openda to slot into an empty net and equalize. Watkins thought he had scored just before halftime but an offside flag ruled out his goal. At the start of the second half, Jhon Durán replaced Watkins and quickly put Villa back ahead with a stunning 25-yard strike. However, Leipzig responded again with Christoph Baumgartner volleying Openda’s cross into the top corner to make it 2-2.

Openda missed a golden chance to give Leipzig the lead late in the game, shooting straight at Martínez. With the match nearing a draw, Barkley’s deflected shot off Lukas Klostermann wrong-footed goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, giving Villa the vital three points. The win puts Unai Emery’s side in third place with 13 points from six games in a strong position to finish in the top eight and qualify directly for the knockout stage.

Durán, who scored in Aston Villa’s Premier League win over Southampton, continued his impressive form, scoring from the bench for the sixth time this season. Despite Watkins’ role in Villa’s first goal, his recent lack of form raises questions about his starting position ahead of Durán. Next up for Villa is a Premier League match away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.