Late Aimson thunderbolt denies Exeter City at leaders Salford

Exeter City suffered a cruel late defeat as league leaders Salford snatched a 2-1 victory with a spectacular long-range strike just two minutes from time.

The Grecians looked set to take a valuable point away from the league leaders after producing another encouraging performance, but Will Aimson's stunning late effort condemned City to defeat and extended Salford's winning run to eight consecutive League Two matches.

Exeter arrived in impressive form, having gone five league games unbeaten, and showed little fear against a Salford side sitting proudly at the top of the table.

The visitors made a positive start and created the first significant opportunity after 20 minutes when Salford goalkeeper Will Norris brought down Sonny Cox outside the penalty area.

Norris escaped with only a yellow card, while Luca Woodhouse's resulting free-kick lacked the power to trouble the goalkeeper.

City continued to look dangerous and were rewarded for their efforts in the 34th minute when Cox found the breakthrough. The Exeter forward squeezed a low finish beyond Norris to give the travelling Grecians a deserved advantage.

The visitors defended impressively for long periods and appeared comfortable against their promotion-chasing opponents.

However, Salford found a way back into the contest after 65 minutes when Luke Garbutt bundled the ball over the line following Macaulay Langstaff's dangerous low delivery.

The equaliser gave the hosts renewed confidence, although Exeter continued to compete and looked capable of finding a winning goal themselves.

Salford midfielder Brendan Weirdu tested Jack Bycroft with a curling effort, but the Exeter goalkeeper dealt with it comfortably.

At the other end, full-back Lakyle Samuel came close to restoring City's advantage, unleashing a fierce long-range strike which flashed narrowly wide.

With both sides searching for a decisive moment, the game appeared destined for a draw until Aimson produced a moment of outstanding quality.

With just two minutes of normal time remaining, the 32-year-old centre-back unleashed a spectacular effort from distance, sending the ball into the left-hand corner and leaving Bycroft with no chance.

It was a devastating blow for Exeter, whose disciplined display had threatened to bring the league leaders' winning streak to an end.

Instead, Salford celebrated another three points, while the Grecians were left to reflect on a performance full of effort and quality that ultimately brought no reward.