EPL: Aston Villa leap to third as Liverpool draw Sunderland at Anfield

Aston Villa surged to third in the Premier League after a dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Brighton.

Also on Wednesday night, Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Sunderland, leaving the champions struggling for consistency.

Liverpool’s hopes of turning the corner after Sunday’s 2-0 win at West Ham were dashed once again.

Sunderland took the lead in the 67th minute when Chemsdine Talbi capitalised on a sloppy pass by Virgil van Dijk.

A late effort from Florian Wirtz deflected off Nordi Mukiele and was credited as an own-goal, rescuing a point for the hosts.

Sunderland nearly completed a historic first win at Anfield since 1983, only for Wilson Isidor’s stoppage-time break to be cleared off the line by Federico Chiesa.

At the Amex Stadium, Villa staged a stunning fightback to secure their eighth win in nine league games.

Brighton had raced into a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes through Jan Paul van Hecke and a Pau Torres own-goal. Ollie Watkins then scored twice before halftime, followed by Amadou Onana’s header and Donyell Malen’s strike to put Villa 4-2 up.

Van Hecke’s second of the night set up a tense finale, but Brighton eventually succumbed to their first home defeat of the season.

Elsewhere, Wolves’ struggles continued as Igor Jesus’ header earned Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at Molineux, moving Sean Dyche’s side three points clear of the relegation zone.

Burnley remain in the bottom three after Daniel Munoz’s goal lifted Crystal Palace to fifth with a 1-0 victory.

AFP

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