Youri Tielemans paid tribute to the club’s supporters after Aston Villa staged a late comeback to secure a deserved point in their final home match of the season against Liverpool.
A vibrant Villa Park was in superb voice for the action-packed encounter in B6 and helped roar on Unai Emery’s side to a 3-3 draw.
Joyous scenes greeted Jhon Durán’s late brace as the home faithful celebrated a hard-fought point, which strengthens Villa’s position in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
The draw comes near the end of a 2023/24 campaign which saw the Villans establish a 17-match unbeaten home run in the league, including an astonishing 15 successive top-flight wins at Villa Park.
And, speaking after Villa’s players and coaching staff embarked on a post-match lap of appreciation, Tielemans was glowing in his praise of the club’s fans.
“We just want to thank them, especially at the end there, you could feel the atmosphere, the buzz around the club, around the players,” he said.
“The fans were amazing the whole season and it’s not by chance we had such a good record at home.
“So, well done to them.”
Tielemans’ fierce strike in the 12th minute cancelled out Emi Martínez’s unfortunate early own goal, before Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah fired the Reds into a two-goal lead.
It was the Belgium international’s third goal of the season for the Villans and his first on home soil.
“I think we created a couple of chances after that, unfortunately we didn’t score but, in the end, we got the draw,” said the midfielder.
“We fought right until the end and that’s the most important thing, that’s the mentality we have.”
Tielemans added: “Unfortunately we couldn’t score more because we felt we deserved a couple more goals, especially in the first half, and then there's still a chance to make it 4-3 at the end.
“So, it’s unlucky but we’ll take the draw.”