LONDON (AP):

Ashley Young scored with only seconds of injury time remaining yesterday to give Aston Villa a 3-2 win at Everton and move the team into fifth place in the Premier League.

Everton had looked to have earned a draw when defender Joleon Lescott scored his team's second equaliser just 30 seconds earlier, but Young burst through the middle, slalomed past Lescott and hit a right foot shot past goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Similar finish

The finish was similar to his goal that had put Villa ahead 2-1 in the 54th and had looked likely to be the winner until Lescott scored his second goal of the game with a spectacular volley.

"It's a brilliant victory," Young said. "I had an opportunity in the second half that I should have taken, so to win the game at the death shows the character of the boys in our squad. It's a brilliant feeling to get a goal at the death."

Points added to villa

The victory lifted Villa to 28 points, just one fewer than Arsenal, which occupies the last of the four lucrative Champions League qualifying spots.

Both Young's goals came from mistakes by the home side, the first a misplaced pass by Phil Jagielka and the second a sloppy touch by midfielder Mikel Arteta. Villa's other goal came from Steve Sidwell, who scored after just 34 seconds for the quickest goal so far this season.

Young, James Milner and Gabriel Agbonlahor engineered a move that ended with the ball at Sidwell's feet and the midfielder smashed a rising 25-yard shot past Howard.

The quickest goal in Premier League history was Ledley King's for Tottenham after 10 seconds of its 3-3 draw at Bradford in 2000.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel preserved Villa's advantage when he saved a shot by Tim Cahill and a header by Marouane Fellaini, but he was beaten by Lescott in the 30th. Arteta hit a free kick from the left and Lescott redirected Leon Osman's headed flick from close range.

Jagielka gave Young the opening for his first goal when he failed to spot the winger drifting up the left and tried to play a slow pass back to Howard. The 'keeper was beaten to the ball and left sprawling by Young's curling right-foot shot into the far corner.

"The players didn't deserve that today," Everton manager David Moyes said. "All goals are avoidable and certainly the second goal was a real big mistake."

That seemed to be the winner as both teams spurned chances but Lescott hit what was almost an overhead volley past Friedel, leaving just enough time for Young to capitalise on Arteta's poor touch and score again.

Everton's second loss in eight matches leaves them in eighth place on 22 points, one place and one point behind Portsmouth, which drew 1-1 at bottom side West Bromwich Albion.

REACTED FIRST

West Brom captain Jonathan Greening put the Baggies ahead in the 39th from a rebound after Chris Brunt shot against the bar, but Greening reacted first to the rebound and tucked away his first goal of the season.

Equaliser by crouch

But England striker Peter Crouch equalised 19 minutes later with a deflected shot from just outside the area.

West Brom stayed last with 12 points and could slip four points from safety if Tottenham win at West Ham today.

Liverpool kept the lead Saturday when they won 3-1 at relegation-threatened Blackburn, with Chelsea a point back in second after a 2-0 win at Bolton. Third-place Manchester United won 1-0 at Sunderland, while Arsenal beat visiting Wigan 1-0.

Also Saturday, Stoke fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Newcastle, Hull beat Middlesbrough 2-1 and Manchester City drew 1-1 at Fulham.