Aston Villa boss Dean Smith: We threw away the points

Villa led twice and dominated for long periods at Turf Moor but were undone by slack defending as the hosts hit back and snatched all three points through Chris Wood’s 79th minute winner.

Smith said: “My main emotion is disbelief. At half-time we should have been out of sight with the chances we had.

“We should have been at least three goals up and that would have been game over.

“I’ve said to the players it is a difficult league to win in but we have just thrown three points away through really poor defending and basic errors.”

Ollie Watkins bagged his eighth Premier League goal of the season to break the deadlock while Villa also hit the bar in the opening half through Ross Barkley.

Skipper Jack Grealish then looked to have put the visitors back in control when he restored their advantage after Ben Mee had equalised early in the second half.

But Dwight McNeil’s cross crept in off the post to level the scores again before Wood headed an unlikely winner.

Smith said: “We coped with what they were doing but then they get a set piece. We had spoken before that was one of the main ways they were going to try and score goals.

“From the corner they showed more desire. Our zonal markers never attacked it as well as they did.

“Then we show our quality to go and get a second and get back in the lead but then we don’t defend a hopeful ball again and they have a bit of fortune with a cross which goes in off the post.

“Then there is another hopeful cross and a header which goes in off the post. That can happen if you are not on it all the time. We gifted three points away.

“Performance-wise we should have won the game comfortably but lapses in concentration have cost us dearly.”