Credit: Match of the Day and Imago

Max Wilkins

Mon 20 April 2026 7:10, UK

Aston Villa had Tammy Abraham to thank after sealing a late 4-3 win against Sunderland on Sunday.

The Villans so nearly threw away all three points, despite being comfortably 3-1 up with just four minutes of normal time left.

Late strikes from Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor turned the tide, before Emi Martinez made a stellar save to deny a Habib Diarra winner.

That afforded the chance for Unai Emery‘s side to go and win it, and they did exactly that within a minute in front of the Holte End.

Abraham got the winner against Sunderland and has now been met with a glowing review from Danny Murphy.

Danny Murphy hails Tammy Abraham vs Sunderland

The Englishman has seriously struggled for regular minutes since stepping through the doors at Bodymoor Heath in January.

Things haven’t really worked out, as he has regularly found himself on the bench, with only small cameo appearances as a substitute.

It wasn’t any different against the Mackems as the 28-year-old was brought on with 10 minutes to go in B6.

He ultimately bagged the most dramatic of late winners to make sure of a massive win in the race for Champions League qualification.

His clever finish left Murphy stunned on Match of the Day as he picked out the finish from the January signing.

He said: “Watch the quality on the cross coming up from Lucas Digne. The run from Tammy Abraham and the finish is absolutely superb, a deft little touch. An amazing game.”

That was enough for Villa to seal a stunning win over Sunderland and give the striker a much-deserved moment in claret and blue.

Abraham saves the day for Aston Villa

It was a day to remember for Ollie Watkins as he bagged a brace and an assist before being taken off by Emery.

The game looked to be won, so a change made sense, but things certainly changed.

The Villans had to call on Abraham to save the day, and he did exactly that, despite taking just four touches in claret and blue.

In his 10-minute cameo, he maintained a 100 per cent conversion rate with his only shot and also chipped in with two defensive actions.

He also won 100 per cent of his duels on the day as his cameo certainly made a difference on the bumpy route to victory.

Abraham has shown what difference he can make as he continues to work and prove what sort of outlet he can be in B6.