SOCCER: 'Right place at the right time' - Abraham strikes late as Villa edge Sunderland

Aston Villa took a significant step toward securing Champions League qualification with a dramatic 4-3 win over Sunderland on Sunday. Tammy Abraham emerged as the hero, scoring a last-minute goal in the 94th minute to give Villa all three points at Villa Park.

The win extended Villa's lead over sixth-placed Chelsea to 10 points with just five games left in the race for European football, strengthening their position in fourth place.

Sunderland staged a remarkable fightback after falling 3-1 behind, scoring twice in just 58 seconds to make it 3-3. However, Villa's resilience shone through as Abraham slotted the ball past the keeper in stoppage time to seal the victory.

"I think we got too relaxed and made a few mistakes, and Sunderland punished us. They are a good team," Abraham told Sky Sports. "As a striker, watching Ollie (Watkins) today, he was staying alive in the box, and when I came on, I told myself to do the same thing. Luckily for me, I was in the right place at the right time."

Villa looked to be in control after Watkins scored two first-half headers, followed by Morgan Rogers' goal early in the second half to put them 3-1 ahead. However, Sunderland capitalised on mistakes in Villa's possession, with Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor scoring in the 86th and 87th minutes to pull level.

The visitors nearly completed an astonishing turnaround when Habib Diarra sprinted through on goal, but Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a stunning save. Villa then responded quickly, with Lucas Digne delivering a pinpoint cross for Abraham to score the decisive goal.

"What a position we are in, semi-final of a European competition (Europa League), and in pole position to qualify for the top five," Villa midfielder John McGinn said. "We can achieve something not many Aston Villa players have done for a long time. The difference of those two points that big Tammy Abraham has added for us at the end is huge. We knew how important this game was. It wasn’t perfect, but who cares at the end of the day?"

Villa head coach Unai Emery was thrilled with the victory but acknowledged the team's lapses in concentration that allowed Sunderland to draw level. "We lost our mind a little bit when we conceded twice in one minute, but how we reacted at 3-3 to score the fourth goal was fantastic," Emery said. "We started this match with many objectives, one of them being to keep fourth place, get an advantage over other teams, and leave Sunderland further behind us. We did it, and I’m so happy with how we played."

With the win, Villa's hopes of a top-four finish are firmly alive as they continue to fight for a place in next season's Champions League.

-Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters