ASTON VILLA ultimately took control of the game as substitute Ross Barkley secured an exhilarating last-minute win in Leipzig.

The Villa bench player, who had been on the pitch for only two minutes, unleashed a shot that took a crucial deflection off Lukas Klostermann, leaving goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi stranded.

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Villa faced their fair share of challenges, leading Leipzig twice, only to have their advantage erased each time.

Nonetheless, Barkley’s crucial goal proved to be too much for the home side to withstand, advancing Villa into the top eight of the Champions League.

If Carlsberg were to craft the ultimate football match, this encounter would undoubtedly make the cut for Villa.

Unai Emery’s team was ecstatic when captain John McGinn scored just two minutes and 33 seconds into the match.

Matty Cash, stepping in for the injured Leon Bailey, delivered a long cross to the back post aimed at Ollie Watkins.

The England striker leapt solo to cushion a header into McGinn’s path, who skillfully finished with his weaker right foot from close range, leaving the hosts stunned.

Only Peter Withe had scored faster for Villa in Europe, with goals against Vitoria Guimaraes and Spartak Moscow in 1983.

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The grand stage seems to spark McGinn’s brilliance.

His last goal for Villa in this tournament was against Bologna.

‘The referee had no choice but to award a penalty after Tyrone Mings’ schoolboy mistake – he’s absolutely spot on’

Additionally, he surpassed Scottish legend Ally McCoist with goals in his last two international fixtures against Croatia and Poland.

At that point, Villa appeared to have total control.

Watkins narrowly missed connecting with a cross from Lucas Digne that raced dangerously across the goal.

Then Youri Tielemans combined with McGinn for a short corner, which ended with McGinn hitting his attempt well over the bar.

Next came Tielemans again, who couldn’t convert his shot following a slick passing exchange involving McGinn, Digne, and Watkins.

Everyone awaited the next goal.

What none saw coming was that it would be scored by RB Leipzig!

Unexpectedly, Leipzig leveled the match in the 27th minute, undoing all of Villa’s prior efforts.

The infamous Villa defensive inconsistencies resurfaced in Europe.

Earlier away, Tyrone Mings committed a shocking mistake by gifting Brugge a soft penalty.

This time, it was Emi Martinez and Diego Carlos who had to rue their errors.

Nicolas Seiwald’s hopeful pass should have been an easy pick-up for the World’s No.1 goalkeeper and an experienced defender like Carlos.

Martinez initially moved forward but hesitated when he realized the ball would bounce just outside his area.

He then halted his advance, which forced Carlos to take charge of the situation—only for the Brazilian to make a mistake!

As Villa’s defenders played a game of pass the buck, Lois Openda took full advantage.

He swooped in, rounded Martinez, and slotted the ball into the empty net, equalizing dramatically.

Feeling the sting, Villa surged forward aggressively.

Matty Cash dashed onto a pass from Morgan Rogers, but Peter Gulacsi deflected his shot for a corner.

Villa thought they had regained the lead when McGinn set up Watkins, who slotted the ball through Gulacsi’s legs.

However, their joy was short-lived as the offside flag was raised, with VAR confirming Watkins was marginally offside.

This would be the striker’s last contribution of the match, as he left the field at halftime clutching his thigh and was substituted for Jhon Duran.

The Colombian’s first touch was a low shot that veered wide, but his second attempt had a significant impact!

Emi Martinez kicked off the action with a quick throw to Youri Tielemans, who connected with his teammates before the ball was moved to Duran, situated 45 yards from goal.

The daring striker advanced and unleashed a spectacular left-footed drive that soared into the net, just beyond Gulacsi’s reach, who was caught slightly off his line.

It was an extraordinary finish, reminiscent of his stunning winner against Bayern Munich.

With confidence high, Duran appeared to secure Leipzig’s fate six minutes later.

Matty Cash sprinted down the right wing and delivered a pinpoint cross that Duran met and slotted in from close range.

However, his celebration was cut short by VAR, which flagged Cash for being just offside in the lead-up.

Incredibly, Leipzig took advantage of this stroke of luck to equalize once more!

Openda found Cristoph Baumgartner at the back post, who cushioned a volley over Martinez into the top corner of Villa’s net.

It was yet another remarkable finish that left Emery perplexed at how his team had allowed another lead to slip away.

It could have been even worse when Pau Torres presented Openda a golden opportunity on goal, only for Martinez to make a vital save.

Leipzig’s sponsors, Red Bull, may provide energy. But for Villa, their RB translates into victories!