'100 per cent' - Aston Villa goalscorer's honest Leeds United Premier League survival verdict after draw
Tammy Abraham broke Leeds United hearts with a late Aston Villa equaliser.
Aston Villa goalscorer Tammy Abraham believes Leeds United ‘definitely have the quality’ to stave off Premier League relegation despite conceding late to drop two points on Saturday.
Leeds looked set for a massive win at Villa Park thanks to Anton Stach’s brilliant first-half free-kick which caught out Emi Martinez from all of 30 yards. The Whites produced a near-perfect first-half performance but were pinned back by their Champions League-chasing hosts after the break.
Abraham was introduced by Unai Emery midway through the second period and with just two minutes of normal time remaining, looped the ball over Dominic Calvert-Lewin with his thigh to equalise. Leeds held on to secure a point which manager Daniel Farke was happy with overall.
Another late concession and two points dropped might leave Leeds feeling a little disappointed on their way back to West Yorkshire. But they are now just three wins off the 40-point mark and Abraham believes they have enough to survive.
"Watching Leeds with their past few results they have been grabbing draws and making games tough for opponents,” the Villa striker told BBC Final Score. “So we knew what to expect and we are happy that we didn't end up losing the game and we just have to keep going and keep believing in ourselves.”
Asked whether he believes Leeds can survive, the Villa striker added: "100%. They have a lot of quality and players who have been here before and done it. DCL [Calvert-Lewin] is currently in good form and scoring goals and they are creating chances for him. They definitely have the quality to stay up."
Abraham’s manager Emery identified Leeds’ competitiveness as their best trait and a point at Villa Park is encouraging, regardless of how it arrived. Farke’s side have still won just one away Premier League game in 14 but conversely, have lost just one of their last nine on the road across all competitions.
Leeds return home next weekend with title contenders Manchester City their visitors. After that, the fixture schedule swings heavily in the Whites’ favour with Burnley, Wolves, Sunderland, Brentford and Brighton all due at Elland Road before the season is out.