When these two teams met in October, Aston Villa were 17th, outside the relegation zone only on goal difference, but such has been their resurgence under Unai Emery that heading into this game it was only Thomas Frank conceding that his side are no longer in the European race.
A run of three successive defeats had left Brentford’s outstanding second Premier League season in danger of petering out, while five wins on the spin had marked Villa out as - bar Manchester City - the division’s form side and started tentative talk of a late top-four push.
Here at the Gtech Community Stadium, though, both streaks were broken, as Ivan Toney’s 20th goal of the season was cancelled out by Douglas Luiz’s equaliser three minutes from time.
There was no overreaction to his side’s recent dip from Frank, who made only one change to the side handily beaten at Wolves last weekend, Vitaly Janelt restored to midfield ahead of Josh Dasilva, while Emery stuck with the same XI that had blown Newcastle away.
Brentford carved out the two best openings of a first-half played without any real sense of urgency, and but for outstanding blocks from first Alex Moreno and then Emiliano Martinez, would’ve gone into the interval ahead.
Moreno, whose attacking threat has been a key part of Villa’s thrilling revival, was switched on defensively at the far post to deny Bryan Mbeumo a simple finish after a superb move, before Toney was thwarted on the stretch by the strong hand of Martinez, having held off his man to connect well with Kevin Schade’s low pull-back.
Going the other way, Emiliano Buendia was in delightful form in midfield, finding pockets of space and combining well with Jacob Ramsey. The Argentine’s clever effort of the outside of the boot inside two minutes forced David Raya into his only meaningful save of the half, but Brentford’s deep defensive line largely denied the in-form Ollie Watkins the space in behind in which to threaten his former club.
The Bees, too, tend to be at their most dangerous with clear green grass ahead and after the restart the pace of Mbeumo and Schade proved impossible to live with as Villa were carved open time and again.
Mbeumo’s deep ball picked out his fellow winger beyond the offside trap, but Schade blundered twice, first in trying to flick a needlessly early header over Robin Olsen and then again when the ‘keeper, on as a half-time substitute, failed to gather, the German snatching at his chance when he had time to steady and find an empty net from the angle. Seconds later, Schade released Mbeumo on the counter from inside his own half, but the Frenchman overran possession with Toney steaming up in support.
The chances kept coming, Mbeumo wasteful again as he steered over the bar on the half-volley from Toney’s wonderful pass.
Even with Frank more regularly employing a front-three these days, that striking pair remain Brentford’s deadliest combination, and it was when they slotted into their more natural roles of provider and finisher that the deserved opener finally arrived, Mbeumo whipping to the far post and Toney arriving to make an awkward bouncing finish look easy.
Toney was in the groove now, going close with an overhead-kick soon after, but Buendia’s craft so nearly created a response, Ramsey poking over the bar under pressure from the excellent Aaron Hickey.
Into the final ten minutes, Brentford were clear as the game’s dominant force, but when substitute Yoane Wissa became the latest to fluff his lines in front of goal when he ought to have clinched the points, belief in a late Villa strike grew.
Sure enough, when Lucas Digne’s low cross deflected to the feet of Buendia, the playmaker was typically composed and teed up a sitter for Luiz to level.
