Suzuki own goal denies Aston Villa victory in 1-1 draw with Fulham

Aston Villa were denied a fifth victory in six games when goalkeeper Zion Suzuki’s own goal secured Fulham a 1-1 draw at Villa Park. Nicolas Jackson had put the hosts ahead, but Fulham’s sustained second-half pressure eventually produced an equaliser through an error by the Villa goalkeeper. Villa took control in the first half despite missing an opportunity from the penalty spot.

John McGinn struck the crossbar with the first penalty he has missed for the club outside shootouts. The penalty had been awarded after Sander Berge was judged to have handled Leon Goretzka’s header. Jackson opened the scoring in the 39th minute.

Johan Manzambi’s through ball sent the striker down the inside-left channel, and Jackson moved past Timothy Castagne and David Affengruber before finishing. The Guardian described it as his fifth goal in five Premier League games and his eighth of the season. Fulham improved significantly after half-time and had more of the ball.

Manager Álvaro Arbeloa said his side wanted to control the match through possession but needed to compete for every ball. The visitors’ pressure included a chance created from Alex Iwobi’s corner, which was touched on by Castagne and then involved Gonzalo García and Shea Charles before landing on the roof of the net. Suzuki had earlier been praised for his early-season form and saved a header from Iwobi.

But from the resulting corner, Iwobi delivered again and Suzuki, under no apparent pressure, dropped the ball just over his own goal line. That mistake midway through the second half levelled the match. Villa manager Unai Emery defended his goalkeeper after the error.

“It’s part of football,” Emery said, adding that coaches and players make mistakes and that errors by goalkeepers attract greater attention. He preferred to focus on the saves Suzuki had made. The draw extended Fulham’s recent positive run to seven points from their last three league matches, following wins over Hull and Coventry, according to the Guardian.

The result kept them two points above the relegation zone during Arbeloa’s first autumn in charge. For Villa, the result interrupted a strong spell but did not erase the progress made under Emery. The team had won eight of its previous 10 league matches in October and November after a slow start to the season.

They were due to travel to Barcelona on Tuesday before visiting Manchester United the following Sunday. The match also came amid continuing discussion of comments by former England player and pundit Jamie Carragher, who had told Villa supporters to “shut the fuck up” during criticism of his view that Emery might want the Manchester United job. Villa chair Nassef Sawiris threatened legal action over the remarks, which Carragher later called “clumsy and wrong.”