Aston Villa 2 Watford 1 - Report and pictures

With the allotted four minutes of stoppage time up and Dean Smith’s men heading toward a result which, while maybe not disastrous, would leave them rooted in the relegation zone, the defender changed everything with a shot which flicked off Tyrone Mings and flew into the top corner to spark pandemonium and leave Watford stunned.

There is no way of playing down the importance of this win, or the manner of it, for Villa.

Instead of sitting 19th in the Premier League, they are now up to 16th, while the rival Hornets find their six-match unbeaten run halted in the most agonising of circumstances. Nigel Pearson’s team now find themselves back in the drop zone and just one off the bottom of the table.

Konsa’s goal came at the end of a nervy yet enthralling evening at Villa Park, during which for the second time in the space of four days Smith’s men found themselves having to come from behind to salvage points against a relegation rival.

Troy Deeney had once more looked like being the villain after notching his sixth goal in four games against Villa to put the visitors ahead late in a first-half short on action.

Pepe Reina then prevented the former Walsall man from doubling the lead before Douglas Luiz came off the bench to level things up.

A draw looked like being the outcome and it is one which would have better suited the visitors. Enter Konsa and Mings to combine for the scrappiest but most precious of winners, the defender’s shot hitting his team-mate as he lay on the ground before going in.

It was the second time this season Villa had come from behind to win this season. That too was a last-kick winner, against Brighton back in October.

Smith named an unchanged team from the one which started Saturday’s 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at Brighton.

That meant a third consecutive Premier League start for the first time since May 2017 for Danny Drinkwater, who created the first opening of the night for the hosts with a slide rule pass to set Anwar El Ghazi away down the left, though Dutch international was unable to find a team-mate with his cross.

That set the tone for a half where Villa found themselves in several good positions around the visiting box but were unable to deliver the telling pass.

Matt Targett shot straight at Ben Foster from the corner of the box, though it is possible the wing-back was attempting a cross, while El Ghazi also curled just over from distance as the hosts looked for a way through.

Villa’s failure to seriously test Foster made the simplicity of Watford’s opener all the more galling. It took just three passes for the visitors to cut the home defence apart, Doucoure sending Deulofeu racing to the byline to deliver a cross which Deeney, rising between Konsa and Frederic Guilbert, headed high into the net.

It was the 31-year-old’s sixth goal in less than three-and-a-half matches against Villa and he made no friends in the Holte End with his taunting celebration.

Things almost got worse for the home side before the break but Deulofeu was only able to hit the side netting after escaping down the left.

Kortney Hause headed over at a corner early in the second half as Villa looked to increase the pressure. Konsa also shot wide from outside the box.

But it was Watford who came within a whisker of increasing their lead with their first attack of the half.

Villa failed to clear a corner and when Deulofeu returned Pereyra’s cross into the danger zone, Reina stuck out a hand and only succeeded in tipping the ball to Deeney. The keeper immediately redeemed himself by blocking the striker’s shot at point-blank range before, after Villa had again failed to hack the ball clear, sticking out a hand to keep out Deeney’s next effort.

Mings, booked in the first half for catching Doucoure late, was perhaps fortunate to escape a second caution when his hand got in the way of the ball as Deulofeu looked to skip past. Much to Villa’s relief, referee Martin Atkinson ruled it to be accidental.

Villa mustered their first serious attempt on target of the match but Targett’s header, from Guilbert’s deep cross, was straight at Foster.

Trezeguet then fired over from outside the box before the breakthrough finally arrived in the 68th minute.

Jack Grealish picked up the ball on the edge of the box and took the attention of three defenders before rolling a pass to Targett. Though the latter’s first-time shot was saved by Foster, the ball ran out to Luiz, on the pitch for less than 11 minutes after replacing Drinkwater, to blast high into the roof of the net.

It was the Brazilian’s third goal for Villa, by some distance the scrappiest but by far the most precious and he celebrated by diving into the Holte.

The ground was suddenly alive with noise from the home supporters but neither Marvelous Nakamba nor El Ghazi could get a clean strike on the ball after Trezeguet had raced down the right and whipped in a low cross.

Watford were also looking for a winner and Reina needed to be alert to come and punch a Deulofeu free-kick away from Craig Dawson.

Villa were left howling for a penalty when Grealish, after a slaloming run into the box yet replays showed Atkinson made the right decision in playing on.

The hosts looked to have missed their shot before suddenly, with just seconds to go, everything changed.

Villa (3-4-3): Reina, Konsa, Mings, Hause, Guilbert, Nakamba, Drinkwater (Luiz 56), Targett, Trezeguet (Vassilev 77), El Ghazi, Grealish Subs not used: Elmohamady, Chester, Hourihane, Lansbury, Nyland (gk).

Watford (4-2-3-1): Foster, Mariappa, Dawson, Cathcart, Masina, Chalobah (Pussetto 76), Capoue, Pereyra (Gray 81), Doucoure, Deulofeu (Kabasele 90+1), Deeney Subs not used: Pedro, Quina, Holebas, Gomes (gk).