Aston Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki experienced a rare error during Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Fulham at Villa Park, resulting in an own goal that allowed the visitors to secure a 1-1 draw. Suzuki, who has largely impressed since joining the club in the summer, fumbled a corner kick over his line in the second half, leveling the score after Villa had taken the lead earlier in the match.

Villa started strongly, with new signing Leon Goretzka making his first league start and creating multiple chances from set pieces. His second header won a penalty after Fulham’s Sander Berge handled the ball in the box. Despite the opportunity, captain John McGinn, who took the spot-kick instead of in-form striker Nicolas Jackson, saw his shot come back off the crossbar. McGinn had a limited history with penalties, having only previously taken one in a shootout against Brentford, which was saved.

The breakthrough came from Villa’s Nigerian forward Nicolas Jackson, who has been in excellent form in recent games. Assisted by Johan Manzambi, Jackson calmly finished low past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno to score his eighth league goal of the season. Fulham responded strongly in the second half, with opportunities falling to Shea Charles and Gonzalo García, who both missed close-range chances.

Fulham’s persistent pressure eventually forced the error from Suzuki. A corner delivered by Alex Iwobi caught the goalkeeper off guard as the ball sailed over his head and bounced into the net, bringing the visitors level. Suzuki disputed the goal with referee Sam Barrott, but the decision stood.

Both teams pressed for a late winner, but neither could find the decisive goal, leaving the match tied. The draw lifted Fulham to 15th in the Premier League standings, three points behind Villa, who remain ninth. The point is likely to alleviate some early-season pressure on Fulham head coach Álvaro Arbeloa, as his side continues its fight for Premier League survival.