Aston Villa delivered a Hollywood ending in front of Tom Hanks but Jurgen Klopp will hope for a calmer Liverpool farewell, writes TOM COLLOMOSSE after thrilling 3-3 draw

With Tom Hanks in the crowd, Aston Villa delivered a Hollywood ending that might just be enough to send them into the Champions League next season.

Needing a win to seal a top-four finish, Villa trailed 3-1 with five minutes left before substitute Jhon Duran scored twice in three minutes to earn a point. 

Remarkably, Duran and boss Unai Emery were berating one another throughout his cameo, though both were smiling at full-time. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will hope for a calmer final game as Liverpool manager when he waves goodbye against Wolves on Sunday.

Earlier, an amazing miss from Diego Carlos and an error from Emi Martinez looked set to cost. Watching from the stands, Villa fan Hanks was as incredulous as the rest of us.

Liverpool were in front thanks to a bizarre own-goal from Emi Martinez and a Cody Gakpo effort, either side of Youri Tielemans’ leveller. The game seemed up when Jarell Quansah doubled the visitors’ lead early in the second half before Duran’s late show.

Now Villa eyes turn to north London. If Tottenham beat Manchester City on Tuesday, Villa will need to match Spurs’ result on Sunday to secure fourth spot. It promises to be a jumpy afternoon at in-form Crystal Palace for Unai Emery’s team, who played this entire match as though there were five minutes left in a cup final and they needed to score twice.

After their recent wobbles, Villa needed a quick getaway but instead had the worst possible start. With Lucas Digne backing off him, Harvey Elliott swapped passes with Mohamed Salah and delivered a cross that clipped Pau Torres – which should have been a routine claim for Emi Martinez.

Instead the Villa goalkeeper found himself in an awful tangle, spilling the ball and pushing it over the line as he tried to gather. Unai Emery’s men were stunned and it could have become immediately worse. Salah drifted past Digne and saw his shot deflected just wide, before Virgil van Dijk put a free header into the Holte End.

Liverpool were passing the ball first time as though in a training exercise as Villa struggled to cope, with Digne in particular having a painful beginning. Yet with their first proper attack, Villa should have equalised. John McGinn found Moussa Diaby, who tiptoed past Joe Gomez and cut the ball back, only for Leon Bailey to miskick from six yards.

Yet Villa would have their equaliser soon enough. Ollie Watkins did to Jarell Quansah what Diaby had done to Gomez and this time the chance was taken. Tielemans aim from 18 yards was true and, with Alisson stranded, it fizzed into the net.

Suddenly Villa had regained their buzz. Their passing was crisp, their movement positive. Bailey sent Watkins scurrying behind the Reds back line though this time Quansah was alive to the danger and made an important block.

With their defensive line as high as a kite, Villa were taking a gamble and sure enough, Liverpool regained the lead when Salah lofted it crossfield, Luis Diaz found the overlapping Gomez and the cross was palmed by Martinez into the path of Gakpo, who tapped home. Emery looked distraught, burying his head in his hands.

During the two-minute VAR check, McGinn and Watkins raged at one another and their mood did not improve when the goal was given. McGinn tried to make amends with a spin and run into the box and Quansah did well again to shut him down.

Bailey was Villa’s liveliest player and when he cruised beyond Alexis Mac Allister, Watkins was waiting at the far post and a second equaliser looked certain. Somehow Diego Carlos – from a yard – managed to slice the ball past the far post. It was one of the misses of the season and Villa were not finished there.

Two minutes before the break, McGinn sent Diaby clean through and from a central position, the Frenchman failed even to hit the target. Already irritated with Diaby, the home fans’ anger exploded when he attempted a back-heel to Bailey rather than a shot.

All the while McGinn had been in the ear of referee Simon Hooper for missing an apparent elbow by Mac Allister into his chest. Though he was told to button it, the Villa skipper was in obvious pain and needed treatment in the closing moments of the half.

Having conceded so early in the first half, surely Villa would not make the same mistake again? Wrong. Carlos tripped Diaz, Elliott swung the free-kick where Quansah easily outjumped the much smaller Digne and planted a superb header across Martinez and in off the far post.

Handily for Villa, Liverpool’s defending was not at the level of their attacking and Watkins thought he had pulled a goal back moments later, only for Bailey to be rightly called offside in the build-up.

There was another near miss seconds later, too – Diaby collected a poor clearance from Alisson and this time it was Watkins’ turn to misjudge a backheel. The chances kept flowing and Villa kept failing, as substitute Nicolo Zaniolo fired too close to Alisson shortly after coming on while at the other end Martinez did well to deny Dominik Szoboszlai and made an even better stop from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Then Villa gained new hope. Seconds after rowing with Emery, substitute Duran powered home from the edge of the box – and promptly had another tiff with his manager that saw the latter booked. 

But there was to be another remarkable twist as Diaby swerved through midfield and his through ball hit Duran’s thigh and flew past a helpless Alisson. There was still time for Alisson to save from Diaby and Van Dijk to survive a penalty shout at the end of a sensational night.