Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Sun 19 April 2026 16:06, UK

Aston Villa snatched victory from the jaws of humiliation after Tammy Abraham’s 94th-minute goal sealed a pulsating 4-3 win against Sunderland on Sunday.

A raucous atmosphere at Villa Park helped Unai Emery‘s Champions League chasers thunder out of the traps, Ollie Watkins handing them the lead after just two minutes.

But as slick and professional as the hosts were for large swathes, it was far from one-way traffic. Chris Rigg lashed a superb equaliser into the top corner on 10 minutes, and suddenly, the warning signs were flashing. They were not heeded, however.

Instead, Villa pushed on, Watkins bagging his second goal and then teeing up Morgan Rogers for the hosts’ third of the afternoon shortly after the half-time restart. That was when the complacency set in, which inexplicably opened the door for a Sunderland fightback.

Trai Hume reduced the deficit with four minutes remaining on the clock, before dire defending allowed the Black Cats to slip through Wilson Isidor. The striker gave Emi Martinez the eyes before stroking in, leaving the Midlands outfit shellshocked.

However, there was still time for a late, late twist. Moments after Habib Diarra squandered the chance to win it for Sunderland, Villa went down the other end and took all three points instead, substitute Abraham providing the decisive touch to spark wild scenes.

The result saw Villa take a giant stride closer to sealing Champions League football, but judging from this breathless encounter, the job isn’t quite done yet.

John McGinn impresses again for Aston Villa

McGinn has been a revelation since returning for Villa, and he continued his purple patch against the Black Cats. In fact, he was involved in almost everything.

His clipped cross to the far post was on a plate for Watkins to bag his first goal. Shortly after, his devilish corner was nodded against the woodwork by Amadou Onana.

The 31-year-old ran the show down the right-hand side and worked brilliantly in tandem with Matty Cash, but he also drifted centrally to good effect.

Having stolen possession on the halfway line shortly after the half-time restart, he can take credit for starting the move that ended in Rogers tucking in Villa’s third.

McGinn took 41 touches and was crucial before being taken off on 80 minutes. He created four chances, two of which were golden openings, and completed three crosses.

The Scot also registered two successful dribbles and a pass accuracy of 78 per cent. It was perhaps no surprise that Villa lost control after his substitution.

Ross Barkley short on invention

Handed another start by Emery, Ross Barkley simply didn’t do enough. The playmaker ghosted through much of the match and paled in comparison to his attacking peers.

He was, admittedly, involved in the build-up for Rogers’ goal early in the second half after shuttling the ball across to Watkins, but he largely kept his involvement simple.

There were no raking passes out to the wings or defence-splitting through balls. Instead, Barkley dropped below the radar in a display surprisingly low on energy and invention.

Making matters worse, Barkley was also caught on his heels before Rigg scored, having too easily allowed the 18-year-old to jink inside before firing beyond Emi Martinez.

He did not create a single chance at Villa Park and mustered up one effort on target. Damningly, his only chance of the game was classed as “big”, but he couldn’t take it.

While Barkley completed 15 of his 16 attempted passes (94 per cent), he sorely lacked cutting edge, shown by his meagre two touches inside the Sunderland penalty area.

Clearly, Emery would have wanted to see more.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Sunderland

Emiliano Martinez – 8

Matty Cash – 6

Ezri Konsa – 6

Tyrone Mings – 6

Ian Maatsen – 7

Amadou Onana – 7

Youri Tielemans – 7

John McGinn – 9

Ross Barkley – 5

Morgan Rogers – 7

Ollie Watkins – 9

Subs

Lucas Digne – 7

Emi Buendia – 6

Jadon Sancho – 2

Tammy Abraham – 7