Aston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw by Sunderland in an entertaining Premier League 2 affair - their penultimate outing of the season - at Bodymoor Heath on Friday evening.
Sam Proctor's penalty save was the highlight of a goalless opening period at Villa's training base, before the game sprung into life after the break, substitute Mason Cotcher notching against his former side within eight minutes of the restart to give Josep Gombau's Young Lions the lead.
Felix Scott drew Sunderland level moments later, before Villa again took the lead thanks to Thierry Katsukunya's header. But a thrilling encounter under the lights would finish even when visiting captain Ben Middlemas struck with little under 20 minutes to play to split the spoils.
Despite Villa controlling much of the ball, it proved an end-to-end affair from the off, as both sides created openings to break the deadlock.
Just three minutes were on the clock when Ogunusi found space inside the area but mishit the bouncing ball with his half-volley, allowing Proctor to collect.
The hosts then put their foot on the gas in response, creating openings of their own. George Hemmings burst into the box but his cross couldn’t find a claret and blue shirt, before Rory Wilson cut inside and called goalkeeper Kelechi Chibueze into action and Kane Taylor fired over.
Despite the Young Lions having gained a foothold in the game, it was the Black Cats who had the best opportunity of the half from the penalty spot, when Rhys Walsh was brought to ground inside the area.
Trey Ogunusi stepped up to take the kick, but Proctor redeemed himself, diving low to his right to keep out the kick and cap off an impressive few weeks, after his FA Youth Cup heroics and inclusion on the bench for Villa’s first team in Paris.
The penalty save upped the hosts’ urgency and belief and, led by the impressive Triston Rowe, their attacks continued to flow.
First, the right-back, being deployed further up the field, cut inside his man and fired over from the edge of the area on his left foot, before coming even closer just before the break, surging to the byline and seeing his effort turned agonisingly wide by Chibueze, as the half ended goalless.
Gombau’s charges upped their intensity further in search of a goal after the break, and within five minutes of the restart, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba had charged into the area and seen a chipped effort stopped well by Chibueze.
But the away stopper could not keep the home side at bay much longer, and just three minutes later, Villa finally had the lead.
Cotcher, having only just climbed off the bench, showed solid instincts to make a run through the middle and steer an effort into the bottom corner against his former side, after enterprising work from Hemmings to power his way through the centre of the field.
The Villans quickly looked for a second goal, with Chibueze being forced into a smart double save from Aidan Borland, but it would be the away side who would grab the next goal to equalise, as Middlemas found Scott, and he neatly finished from inside the area.
Middlemas himself then had the opportunity to spin the tie on its head when finding himself one on one with Proctor minutes later, but could only strike against the near post.
Instead, the pendulum would swing back in favour of the Villans, who retook the lead when Todd Alcock’s pinpoint free-kick delivery from the left was nodded home in the centre by Katsukunya.
But Villa’s joy was again short lived, when just six minutes after providing the assist for their first goal, skipper Middlemas restored parity for Sunderland with a clever first-time finish inside the area, having been found by half-time substitute Timur Tutierov.
Villa again came forward in a topsy-turvy game, looking to take the lead for the third time of the evening. Jimoh-Aloba again tested Chibueze with a pair of smart efforts from the left, either side of more heroic goalkeeping from Proctor at the other end.
Kane Taylor planted a free header wide in stoppage time as Villa fought to the death, but in the end, neither side could find a would-be winner as an entertaining game reached its conclusion level., with Gombau's side in action for the final time this season at Bodymoor next Friday, aganst Liverpool.
