Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham at Villa Park on Saturday after a second-half goalkeeping error denied Unai Emery’s side victory in their Premier League encounter.
Villa took the lead through Nicolas Jackson in the 39th minute after the Chelsea loanee capitalised on a defensive mistake by Timothy Castagne before beating goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Jackson’s goal was his eighth of the season and his fifth in his last five Premier League appearances.
Earlier, Villa had missed an opportunity to take the lead when captain John McGinn struck the crossbar from the penalty spot in the 15th minute. The penalty was awarded following a VAR review for handball against Fulham midfielder Sander Berge.
Fulham also created chances in the first half, but Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki produced an important save to deny Oscar Bobb in the 32nd minute.
The visitors returned from the break with more attacking intent and continued to put pressure on the hosts.
Their efforts paid off in the 64th minute when Suzuki failed to hold Alex Iwobi’s corner kick, allowing the ball to cross the goal line for an own goal that brought Fulham level.
Fulham grew in confidence after the equaliser, with Suzuki making another save to prevent Iwobi from scoring.
Both sides pushed for a winning goal in the closing stages. Villa came close through Pau Torres, who missed two headed opportunities, but Fulham’s defence held firm.
Despite late pressure from the hosts, neither side could find a winner as the match ended 1-1.
Aston Villa will now turn their attention to Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture against Barcelona at Camp Nou.
