Villa 2 Fulham 2
Goalkeeper Brad Friedel made two errors of judgement which cost Villa the win as they were held by Fulham.
Goalkeeper Brad Friedel made two errors of judgement which cost Villa the win as they were held by Fulham.
John Pantsil put through his own net after Villa dominated in the first-half but Fulham equalised after the break, when Friedel parried Steve Sidwell's shot which allowed Andrew Johnson to bundle the ball home.
Villa regained the lead with a brilliant individual goal from Kyle Walker, but Friedel failed to claim a Danny Murphy corner and Clint Dempsey headed home to give Fulham a point.
The claret and blues had the ball in the net in the seventh minute after a mazy dribble by Stewart Downing who cut in from the right side and lashed a low shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer parried the ball and Darren Bent was on hand to tap the ball home from close range but the assistant referee flagged it offside.
However, Villa continued to press and their attacking intent was rewarded in the 13th minute after some clever interplay.
Jean Makoun, who was brilliant all afternoon, controlled a difficult bouncing ball and played an intelligent pass into the feet of Downing on the right flank.
The winger delivered a superb cross with the outside of his boot towards Gabby Agbonlahor and Bent at the back post but, in haste to clear the ball, Pantsil headed the ball past his own goalkeeper, the wrong-footed Schwarzer.
Sidwell was busy in midfield against his former employers and struck a swerving shot which forced Friedel to readjust his positioning.
Villa began the second-half with the same positive approach and Walker went on a marauding run down the right flank, but his lofted cross went just over the head of the unmarked Bent in the box.
But it was Fulham levelled matters in the 52nd minute after Sidwell was allowed too much space about 30 yards from goal and struck a powerful low shot.
Friedel was only able to parry the ball and former Birmingham striker Johnson was on hand to bundle the ball home with a stooping header, despite Richard Dunne's attempts to clear.
The claret and blues had a golden chance to restore their lead a few minutes later when Downing's cross from the right picked out the unmarked Ciaran Clark who, with only Schwarzer to beat, mistimed his header and it drifted harmlessly wide.
Gerard Houllier's side made amends in the 72nd minute with a brilliant individual goal from on-loan Tottenham defender Walker.
A Villa attack had broken down and Walker picked up the ball in the centre circle but, rather than play a safe pass back to Friedel, the buccaneering right-back ran towards goal.
The Fulham defence sat back and Walker unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards which seemed to take the slightest of touches off Bent's knee before it nestled into the corner of the net.
But Fulham hit back six minutes later when Friedel came for - and failed to claim - a Danny Murphy corner and Clint Dempsey showed great strength to powerfully head home.
Houllier threw on Marc Albrighton and Emile Heskey in search of a winner in the final 10 minutes but it was Fulham who went closest in the dying minutes, when Chris Baird shot from range flew just past the post.