Aston Villa 3 Preston 3 - Report

This was a whirlwind encounter at Villa Park. Villa completely dominated the first period and went into the interval two to the good, thanks to Jonathan Kodjia and Tammy Abraham.

But they unravelled in the second. Preston substitutes Daniel Johnson, Paul Gallagher and Louis Moult all netted - after Villa captain James Chester gave away a penalty and was sent off.

Luckily for Bruce, who had supporters from all sections of the stadium calling for his head and, bizarrely, a cabbage thrown at him before the match even started, Bolasie scrambled the ball in right at the death.

Glenn Whelan could have capped off a remarkable night in style but missed his spot-kick. Bruce, despite the point, could well be on the brink.

Mark Bunn made a rare start between the sticks for Villa - Orjan Nyland dropping to the bench after his error for Kyle Brownhill's goal in last Friday's 1-1 draw at Bristol City - and enjoyed a very quiet first period. He did not have a save to make.

The hosts had the lion's share of possession and went close to scoring a couple of times before they eventually broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. Jack Grealish - again on the left-hand side of midfield - dribbled, unchallenged, for 25 yards before sending an effort narrowly high and wide.

Kodjia, drifting in from the opposite flank, then found space in the box. His shot was straight at Chris Maxwell but the Preston goalkeeper made a right meal of it. He fumbled the relatively tame strike through his legs and was hugely fortunate to see the ball roll out for a corner, which nothing came from.

It was one-way traffic and Villa were able to capitalise. Ahmed Elmohamady, on his return to the side, floated a lovely cross to the far post and Kodjia gobbled up the chance as he powered his header back across Maxwell. The Ivorian's fourth goal of the campaign.

Preston looked every bit the Championship's bottom team. They lacked confidence with and without the ball. There was absolutely no rhythm to their play.

Villa's spirits, meanwhile, were increasing by the minute. It clicked that the Lilywhites were there for the taking and, in the 37th minute, Bruce's charges doubled their lead.

John McGinn and Tammy Abraham teamed up to dispossess the visitors' unsure skipper Paul Huntington as he tried to shield the ball out of play. Abraham then drove towards Maxwell before poking home.

Preston, going into the break, had been the perfect opponents for under-pressure Bruce. But they began the second period brightly and Villa made life a hell of a lot harder for themselves.

Chester tripped Lukas Nmecha, just as the speedy striker was about to pull the trigger inside the box. A spot-kick was awarded and Chester was given his marching orders before Johnson kept his cool against his former employers, sending Bunn the wrong way.

James Bree was swiftly brought on for Abraham in an attempt to keep the buoyant Lilywhites at bay.

Huntington looked to atone for his earlier error but his header drifted over the crossbar. Tom Barkhuizen had an arguably better opportunity from closer in and also failed to find the target.

Villa went from cruise control to panic stations. Nmecha smacked the post and Johnson forced Bunn into a sharp stop. Bruce's men were well and truly on the ropes and dealt a massive blow as Preston equalised.

Gallagher, a few minutes after being introduced, outsmarted Bunn with his low free-kick. Bunn got fingers to the left-footed drive but only diverted the ball onto the inside of the post, before it crept over the line.

Momentum was with the Lilywhites and they completed the comeback as Moult, another substitute, headed past Bunn in the final few minutes.

As soon as the ball struck the net, masses of Villa fans headed for the exit. They had seen enough while many who stayed decided to voice their frustration. Chants of 'We want Brucey out' and 'You're getting sacked in the morning' rang around the ground.

But, crucially for Bruce, there was still time. In the five minutes of stoppage time, Villa drew level. Bolasie got the goal after a goalmouth scramble. It was not pretty, far from it - but Bruce did not care. Not one bit.

And his team nearly clinched the three points. They won a penalty but, with the last kick of what was an emotional rollercoaster of an affair, Whelan fluffed his lines. His soft side-footed shot was easily kept out by Maxwell and the whistle was blown, ending an utterly crazy game of football.

Teams

Villa (4-5-1): Bunn; Elmohamady, Chester (c), Tuanzebe, Hutton; Kodjia (Bolasie, 73), Bjarnason, McGinn, Hourihane (Whelan, 83), Grealish; Abraham (Bree, 57)

Subs: Nyland (gk), El Ghazi, Adomah, Hogan

Preston: Maxwell; Fisher (Moult, 83), Davies, Huntington (c), Hughes; Browne, Pearson, Ledson (Johnson, 46), Barkhuizen (Gallagher, 76); Robinson, Nmecha

Subs: Rudd (gk), Earl, Clarke, Burke

Attendance: 27,341

Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire)