Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

Aston Villa continued their mid-season preparations as they played out a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion in Dubai.

Head coach Unai Emery utilised 18 players as the Villans got crucial minutes under their belt in readiness for the return of Premier League action on Boxing Day.

Danny Ings bagged a brace in the behind-closed-doors fixture, opening the scoring when he capitalised on a defensive error in the 67^th minute.

Deniz Undav struck twice to fire the Seagulls ahead before Ings, who scored a double when the two sides met in the league last month, struck again in the 85^th minute to level matters.

Villa remain in the Middle East on a training camp this week before wrapping up their trip with a second mid-season fixture against Chelsea in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Villa twice forced Jason Steele into action inside the opening 15 minutes, with the Brighton goalkeeper saving from Emi Buendía’s header before Douglas Luiz saw his 20-yard free-kick parried to safety.

Luiz whistled a strike off target from distance as Villa continued to pose the greater attacking threat before the first drinks break.

Robin Olsen saved well from substitute Cameron Peupion as the Seagulls threatened in first-half injury time, but a keenly-contested opening period finished goalless.

Leon Bailey came close to a breakthrough minutes after the restart, finding space down the right and cutting inside before curling a left-footed strike narrowly off target.

Pascal Gross fired an effort over the crossbar in the 51^st minute as both sides searched for the opener.

Boss Emery made a quadruple substitution just after the hour mark as Ings, Calum Chambers, Ludwig Augustinsson and Cameron Archer were introduced.

And Ings made an almost instant impact as he capitalised on a defensive mix-up, receiving the ball six yards out and slotting home into an empty net.

Archer almost punished Brighton again soon afterwards following some further hesitant defending.

But the Seagulls were quickly level as Undav carried the ball towards the penalty area and slotted past Olsen.

The Sweden international did well to hold a volley from Solly March before Emery turned to Marvelous Nakamba, Kadan Young and Arjan Raikhy off the bench.

Undav fired Brighton ahead in the 81^st minute but Villa were not behind for long.

Augustinsson played a well-planned short free-kick to Luiz, who found sub Raikhy and he squared the ball across for Ings, under pressure from Seagulls defender Lewis Dunk, to slot home a late equaliser.

Villa line-up: Olsen, A Young (Chambers 63), Konsa, Mings, Digne (Augustinsson 63), McGinn (c) (Nakamba 81), Kamara (Raikhy 81), Luiz, Buendía (K Young 81), Bailey (Archer 63), Watkins (Ings 63).

Subs: Marschall, Zych, Feeney, Bogarde, Revan, T O’Reilly.