Aston Villa substitute Lucas Digne struck a late winner to thwart Luton Town’s second-half comeback attempt as the visitors ran out 3-2 winners in a thrilling Premier League clash at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
Villa’s in-form striker Ollie Watkins looked lively from the start and he opened the scoring with a bullet header from a corner in the 24th minute.
He added a second 14 minutes later, slotting home a quick free kick from Douglas Luiz for a goal that was initially ruled out for offside, before being given after a VAR review.
The goal moved him to second place in the Premier League scoring table on 16, one behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, but any hope of a hat-trick quickly evaporated as Luton roared back in the second half.
Having not managed a shot on target in the first half, they tore into the visitors after the break, and Tahith Chong pulled a goal back in the 66th minute with a close-range effort after a goal-mouth scramble.
The Luton fans erupted in celebration again six minutes later when Carlton Morris levelled with a deft volley from Alfie Doughty’s free kick deep on the right to leave fourth-placed Villa completely on the ropes.
Luton continued to attack the Villa penalty box with deep crosses, forcing the visitors to shift quickly in defence and concede a number of corners, but ironically it was Villa who got the winner from a similar type of attack.
Sent on in the 79th minute for Alex Moreno, Digne popped up at the far post to head home Moussa Diaby’s deep cross for a win that moves them to 55 points, five ahead of Tottenham Hotspur as they chase Champions League football next season.
While Watkins was delighted with his two goals, he admitted that his side was fortunate to get the victory.
“I just feel a sigh of relief, really. They kept putting pressure on all game. They score a lot of goals and the fans make it a tough place to come. It’s a massive result,” he told Sky Sports.
“They put a lot of pressure on us. I think we are a little bit too comfortable or relaxed, because you have a lead. Luton pushed us to the wire tonight, but Lucas came on and got the winning goal,” he added.
Luton remain in the relegation zone in 18th spot on 20 points, four behind Nottingham Forest, who lost 1-0 to Liverpool earlier on Saturday.
