Aston Villa and Brentford shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Villa Park, with Kristoffer Ajer's late equaliser preserving the Bees' unbeaten start to the Premier League season while leaving Villa still searching for their first home league victory.
Brentford, managed by Keith Andrews, have now stretched their run without defeat to six games, and they could easily have left the Midlands with all three points had they held onto their advantage in the closing stages. Villa, meanwhile, at least collected a point in front of their own supporters after a largely frustrating run at home this term.
The visitors made the perfect start, taking the lead inside ten minutes when Tyrone Mings' loose pass was intercepted and fell to Igor Thiago. His cross was only partially cleared, dropping to Yehor Yarmoliuk, who finished first-time past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki for his first goal since January.
Villa's response was almost instantaneous. John McGinn fed Emi Buendia, whose effort deflected into the path of Nicolas Jackson, who reacted quickest to stab the ball home for his second goal in as many matches, levelling the scores just 88 seconds after falling behind.
The match continued at a frantic pace, with both sides creating further openings before half-time. Johan Manzambi twice threatened for the hosts, with his second effort parried by Caoimhin Kelleher straight into Buendia's path, only for the Argentine to scuff his shot wide. At the other end, Jaidon Anthony tested Suzuki from range, while Kelleher produced a vital double save to deny Villa from going in front before the break, recovering well after initially spilling an effort from Jackson into Buendia's path.
The second half saw Brentford continue to look dangerous, with Kevin Schade forcing another save from Suzuki early on. Villa also had further sights of goal, including a Buendia strike that deflected narrowly wide after a loose touch from substitute Mamadou Sangare. Anthony then nodded wide at the far post after being picked out unmarked by Mathias Jensen.
Villa Park erupted in the 77th minute when Manzambi, who had caused problems for the Brentford defence throughout the afternoon, set up McGinn. The Villa captain's effort deflected off Ajer and looped beyond Kelleher, appearing to hand the hosts a crucial victory.
However, the pattern of the match held true once more, as the team that scored was quickly pegged back. Just over two minutes after McGinn's goal, Brentford drew level again when Anthony picked out Ajer, who finished smartly to secure a share of the points and maintain the Bees' impressive start to the campaign.
The result means Villa's wait for a home league win continues, despite registering their first point of the season in front of their own fans. Brentford, by contrast, will be satisfied with another result that keeps their unbeaten run intact, even if they will feel they let a winning position slip at Villa Park.
Both managers will have plenty to reflect on from an open, end-to-end contest that produced four goals and numerous other chances at both ends of the pitch.
Based on reporting from standard-football.