Kristoffer Ajer spent a chunk of the extended international window fielding questions about the state of mind of his Norway teammate Erling Haaland and perhaps in recent weeks he also picked up some finishing tips. Two minutes after John McGinn’s shot cannoned in via Ajer’s calf, the centre-back strode into the Villa box and kept three defenders at arm’s length before equalising, his side-foot shot also catching a nick off a defender, on this occasion Victor Lindelöf.
For the second time in the game, one team cancelled out the other within two minutes; just 88 seconds separated Yehor Yarmolyuk’s opener, born from Jaidon Anthony pressing Tyrone Mings, from Nicolas Jackson’s simple equaliser. It was a strange, seesawing and tempestuous game and a busy one for Ajer, who was also booked late on for questioning a decision by Craig Pawson, who managed the impressive feat of drawing ire from both sets of supporters.
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