Aston Villa 3-2 RB Salzburg: Report, result and goals as hosts win but suffer Watkins blow

Aston Villa completed a dramatic turnaround at Villa Park, coming from two goals down to beat RB Salzburg 3-2 in the Europa League, although it came at the cost of losing star striker Ollie Watkins to a hamstring injury.

The hosts started brightly and almost struck inside the opening minute. Emiliano Buendia fed Watkins just outside the area and his powerful effort was only partially handled by Alexander Schlager.

Harvey Elliott reacted first to the rebound, but the Salzburg goalkeeper recovered sharply to block again from close range.

Salzburg grew into the contest quickly and began to exploit Villa’s unfamiliar defensive setup. Karim Konate was a constant outlet, holding the ball up well and allowing runners to join him. Emiliano Martinez was called into action on 19 minutes with an outstanding double save, first denying Konaté and then reacting quickly to keep out Soumaila Diabaté’s follow-up.

Villa’s problems deepened midway through the half when Watkins pulled up holding his hamstring and was forced off.

Morgan Rogers replaced him, but the disruption showed almost immediately. On 33 minutes, Tyrone Mings hesitated while trying to recycle possession back to Martinez.

Edmund Baidoo pressed aggressively, nicked the ball, and squared across goal for Konate to turn home, with Victor Lindelof unable to prevent it crossing the line.

The visitors continued to threaten before the break, with Baidoo again bursting through on goal only to be denied by Martinez.

Villa Park was subdued at half-time, with the home side trailing 1-0 after an uneven first-half display.

Unai Emery responded at the interval by introducing Matty Cash, and the change altered the balance of the game.

Villa pressed higher and moved the ball more quickly, but Salzburg struck again just three minutes after the restart.

Kerim Alajbegovic drove past two challenges on the right and fizzed a low cross across the six-yard box, where substitute Moussa Kounfolo Yeo finished neatly at the near post to make it 2-0.

At that point, Villa looked in real trouble. The crowd was flat and Salzburg appeared comfortable soaking up possession and breaking directly. However, the game shifted following a double substitution just after the hour mark, with Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and Ezri Konsa coming on. The tempo lifted, and Villa finally began to turn pressure into chances.

The comeback started on 64 minutes. Buendia threaded a clever pass into the box for Rogers, who timed his run well and finished calmly at the near post.

The goal injected belief into the home side and lifted the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Villa continued to push forward, with Jimoh-Aloba particularly lively. The teenager forced Schlager into a strong save from the edge of the area, and Salzburg began to look stretched.

That pressure paid off on 76 minutes when Cash delivered a curling cross from the left. Mings rose above the defence and headed firmly into the net, making amends for his earlier mistake and levelling the score.

With Salzburg tiring, Villa sensed the opportunity to complete the turnaround. Jimoh-Aloba grew in confidence and was heavily involved in the closing stages.

The decisive moment came on 87 minutes. After Salzburg lost possession while trying to retain the ball, Villa countered at speed.

Kadan Young held off his marker on the right and slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Jimoh-Aloba’s path. The midfielder strode onto it and guided a composed finish into the bottom corner to put Villa ahead.

Salzburg pushed for a response in stoppage time, but Villa managed the final minutes effectively. Jimoh-Aloba had one last effort drift wide before the whistle confirmed a memorable 3-2 victory.