Villa Slip Up at Burnley as Champions League Dream Hangs in the Balance.

Aston Villa missed a golden chance to tighten their grip on a top-four finish after being held to a 2-2 draw by already relegated Burnley on Sunday.

The pressure was on Villa to deliver, especially after their stunning 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Thursday which booked their spot in the Europa League final. A win here would have put them in a commanding position, but instead, they had to settle for a point.

That point still stretched their lead over sixth-place Bournemouth to four points, and moved them six ahead of Brighton in the race for Champions League qualification. But the job is far from done. Villa now face a brutal end to the season—Liverpool and Manchester City either side of the Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul.

Burnley, playing with nothing to lose, started much the brighter. Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez spilled Lesley Ugochukwu’s shot, and Jaidon Anthony was there to punish them, putting the hosts ahead. Villa looked sluggish until Ross Barkley headed them level from a corner just before halftime.

After the break, Ollie Watkins showed his class, latching onto a long ball from Martinez to fire Villa in front. That goal briefly lifted them up to fourth in the table. But Burnley refused to roll over. Zian Flemming smashed home from an inventive Hannibal Mejbri backheel to earn the Clarets a deserved point and keep the battle for the top five alive.

Elsewhere, Everton’s European hopes took another hit. They twice led against Crystal Palace—through James Tarkowski and a brilliant solo goal from Beto—but couldn’t hold on. Ismaila Sarr bagged his 20th goal of the season across all competitions, and Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized for the Conference League finalists. The 2-2 draw leaves Everton in 10th, with a five-game winless streak likely costing David Moyes a shot at Europe for the first time in nine years.

Nottingham Forest snatched a late point against Newcastle thanks to Elliott Anderson, who scored against his old club. Harvey Barnes had put the visitors ahead, but Anderson’s late strike secured a 1-1 draw—and mathematically, it could keep Forest up if West Ham lose to Arsenal.

Speaking of Arsenal, their lead at the top is down to two points after Manchester City beat Brentford 3-0 on Saturday. Still, the title is Arsenal’s to lose. Win their last three games, and it’s theirs. The trickiest of those looks like the trip to West Ham’s London Stadium.

Meanwhile, the Champions League finalists (that’s Real Madrid and Dortmund, for context) face a much gentler finish: already relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, just days before they play in the Conference League final.