Aston Villa secured a crucial 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig in a thrilling Champions League encounter on Tuesday. The win moves Villa up to third place in the group and puts them on course for direct qualification to the knockout stages.

The match saw several lead changes, with John McGinn and Jhon Duran putting Villa ahead, only for Leipzig to draw level through Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner. However, a deflected strike from Ross Barkley in the 85th minute sealed the win for the visiting side.

The emotional conclusion to the match saw assistant referee Alessandro Giallatini, who was officiating his final game before retirement, break down in tears. Giallatini, 49, was consoled by Leipzig manager Marco Rose as the players and coaches shook hands.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery praised his team’s consistency and resilience, saying: “We tried to overcome the mistakes we made and we did. More or less we were playing consistently.”

The victory means Villa remain in contention for a top-eight finish, which would secure their place in the Champions League knockout rounds without the need for a playoff.

Emery expressed his satisfaction with the result, stating: “Today we were thinking if we won we could be a contender in the last two matches to be in the top eight. We achieved this option and we are going to try and get top eight.”

With four wins from six Champions League games so far, Aston Villa have proven themselves a formidable opponent in Europe’s elite competition.