Ollie Watkins spared Aston Villa's blushes as they earned a 1-1 draw with 10-man Ipswich Town, for whom goalkeeper Alex Palmer had a Premier League debut to remember.

Axel Tuanzebe, who enjoyed three separate loan spells with Villa between 2018 and 2022, was sent off on his return to Villa Park after receiving two yellow cards in the first half.

Ipswich had their work cut out from there, but they took a surprise lead early in the second half when Liam Delap beat Emiliano Martinez with a clever near-post flick.

A victory would have taken Ipswich level on points with 17th-placed Wolves, but Watkins broke their resolve on the rebound after half-time substitute Marcus Rashford struck the woodwork with a wonderful free-kick.

Villa pushed for a winner in the dying stages, but Marco Asensio missed two big chances after coming off the bench, drawing a fine save from recent signing Palmer from the second opportunity.

Palmer, who joined from West Brom on transfer deadline day, saved the best of his six saves for last, adjusting brilliantly to tip a deflected effort from Morgan Rogers around the post and preserve Ipswich's point.

While Kieran McKenna's side remain in the relegation zone, they leapfrog Leicester City to go 18th on goal difference, two points behind Wolves.

Villa drop one place to ninth following Fulham's 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest elsewhere on Saturday, with Unai Emery's men now six points off the top four. 

Data Debrief: Ipswich pegged back again

A point at Villa Park, particularly having played over 50 minutes with 10 men, will surely be seen as a positive result for Ipswich.

However, things could have been even better after Delap handed them a shock lead, and the Tractor Boys have now lost 19 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season.

Only bottom club Southampton (20) and under-fire Tottenham (21) have dropped more.

Villa, meanwhile, have gained the fourth-most points from losing positions, salvaging 14 points from such scenarios in 2024-25.