Tony Xia delivers his verdict on Aston Villa display against Preston

By Amir Mir

Tony Xia has stated on Twitter that he is “hurting” after Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Preston on Saturday afternoon.

Steve Bruce’s side let a two-goal lead slip as a brace from Preston frontman Jordan Hugill in the second half helped his team secure a point at Villa Park.

It was a dominant first half display from Villa who went into the break with a two-goal lead after a brace from winger Albert Adomah.

However, the visitors, who beat Villa in the reverse encounter at Deepdale, fought back with two deserved goals.

After the game, owner Xia expressed his heartbreak at Villa dropping another crucial two points in their race for promotion as posted on his personal Twitter account.

The draw on home soil means Villa have dented their hopes of closing the gap on the top six. They are now nine points adrift of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday.

However, their record of still being unbeaten in the Midlands remains intact after the point against Grayson’s side.

However, they have not won a fixture in their last five games in all competitions, picking up just two points in their last three Championship matches.

Xia purchased Nottingham Forest captain Henri Lansbury on Friday and the midfielder played 77 minutes against Preston before being taken off.

The former Arsenal man produced a positive display as he partnered Ashley Westwood in the middle of the park with regular first-teamer, Mile Jedinak injured.

Villa’s next game is not until ten days time when they travel to Brentford for a Tuesday night Championship clash.

In other Aston Villa news, the three reasons why striker Ross McCormack was absent from the Preston game.

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