Luton 2-3 Aston Villa: Sub Lucas Digne heads home late winner for visitors

Come the end of the season, it is nights like this one that could have Rob Edwards ruing what might have been. Aston Villa were by no means dominant, but Lucas Digne’s 89th-minute winner off the bench brought the 10,000 home fans in at Kenilworth Road crashing back down after their side’s second half fightback.

At half-time the hosts looked set for home defeat number nine, an Ollie Watkins double putting Aston Villa in the driving seat, but a comeback featuring Tahith Chong, Carlton Morris and, of course, those Hatters supporters had the hosts heading for a thoroughly deserved and well-earned result.

But with a massive point there for the taking, Unai Emery’s substitutes combined, Moussa Diaby putting it on a plate for Digne to secure three points that both consolidated his side’s Champions League push and crushed the hopes of his opponents.

It was not exactly the start either manager will have wanted, both seeing players hobble off for the treatment table. Amari’i Bell lasted four minutes for the hosts, before Jacob Ramsey followed 25 minutes later.

Watkins - who else? - was the thorn in Luton’s defence throughout. While Teden Mengi had dealt admirably with that threat in the first 24 minutes, the England international could not be kept quiet for long.

After earning the corner himself and forcing a stunning block from Mengi, Watkins climbed highest from the delivery to thump Villa’s first into the top corner, Thomas Kaminski rooted to the spot. The Hatters crowd were silenced for the first time on the night.

The hosts seemed convinced that No one was their best route to success, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. Their greatest successes in the early stages came down the left through substitute Chiedozie Ogbene’s