Leon Bailey saluted Aston Villa’s mentality and character as they battled until the end to claim a 2-2 draw at AFC Bournemouth.
Ollie Watkins’ 90th-minute header salvaged a dramatic point at Vitality Stadium as the striker nodded home his 13th goal of the season.
Bailey’s well-taken strike in the 20th minute, his seventh of the campaign, had earlier cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s opener for the Cherries, before Dominic Solanke restored the hosts’ advantage.
But, with the clash set to enter added time, the visitors continued to push forward and got their rewards courtesy of Watkins’ header to claim a share of the spoils.
Asked if Villa can be proud of their never-say-die attitude, Bailey told VillaTV: “Most definitely.
“A lot of things weren’t going in our favour.
“But, at the end of the day, it’s about mentality and character and I think we showed that until the last minute.
“And we’re just grateful we could come away with even a point.”
The point against the Cherries ensured the Villans have now tasted defeat just once in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Unai Emery’s side host Manchester City and Arsenal this week as they look to continue that sequence.
And Bailey was happy to be going into the tough home double-header with reward to show for their efforts on the south coast.
“For me, personally, it was a very difficult game,” he said.
“I think they’re a great team, they showed a lot of character.
“It was difficult for us in some moments.
“But we didn’t give up and we fought until the end.”
You can watch Leon’s full interview below…
