Aston Villa took a point from their Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield to keep their dreams alive of securing European football on the final day of the season.
The Villans are now seventh in the top flight table with just one game left to play following Tottenham Hotspur's defeat to Brentford this afternoon, and it will now go down to the last 90 minutes of the campaign to decide their fate when they host Brighton and Hove Albion at Villa Park next weekend.
Unai Emery will be thrilled with his team's performance on Merseyside today but will have left a little dejected at the missed opportunity to take all three points away from their opponents after a late Liverpool equaliser.
Despite having just 34% possession, the visitors created more big chances (3 v 1) and won more duels (65 v 52), as well as completing more tackles (29 v 18) and more clearances (38 v 20), proving that Villa put on a sound defensive performance and worked hard to hold off the relentless press from Liverpool's attacking threat.
In the first half, Villa dominated in their attacking third troubling Liverpool's defenders from the very start until Ibrahima Konate gave Ollie Watkins an opportunity to go one-on-one with Alisson Becker with a penalty, but it wasn't meant to be for the Villa talisman.
Although Watkins would have been feeling frustrated with his wide attempt, a volley from Jacob Ramsey just five minutes later put the Villans deservedly in the lead.
In the final 45 minutes, Emery's side did everything they could to stop Liverpool's famed forwards from finding an equaliser for the majority of the game. However, a cameo from Roberto Firmino proved deadly when the Brazilian netted an 89th-minute goal to share the spoils at Anfield.
Indeed, Ramsey will steal the headlines for his opener which followed on from a super strike against Spurs last weekend, but it was Douglas Luiz who dominated the centre of the pitch, playing a huge role in Villa's attacking threat whilst standing his ground to defend their initial lead.
How did Douglas Luiz get on vs Liverpool?
The Brazilian midfielder has been monumental in the transformation that Emery has inspired at the Midlands club, and continues to play a massive role in the tapestry of the Spaniard's tactical masterclasses.
Over his 87-minute performance, the £75k-per-week ace – hailed "magnificent" for his Anfield display by writer Luis Miguel Echegaray – had 58 touches of the ball, completed three key passes and won three tackles, as well as completing 100% of his dribbles, winning 100% of his aerial duels, and of course, delivering the assist for Ramsey's goal.
Villa supporters will be thrilled that their talented star committed his future to the club after Arsenal made attempts to snap up his services last summer, as his huge presence on the pitch has been integral to their climb up the Premier League table and chase for European football.
With that being said, Emery will be hoping the final day at Villa Park will spark a new chapter for the team to explore next season, giving the supporters and squad something to believe in after such a rollercoaster campaign.