Aston Villa blew the chance to go top of the Premier League and needed Nicolo Zaniolo’s late goal to rescue a 1-1 draw against struggling Sheffield United.
The substitute levelled in stoppage time just as Cameron Archer’s 87th-minute strike looked to have given the Blades a stunning smash and grab win.
Villa needed victory to go top but now sit second, behind Arsenal on goal difference.
Aston Villa''s last 16 home matches…
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWD
Chris Wilder''s @SheffieldUnited are the first side to take something from Villa Park since February!#AVLSHU pic.twitter.com/cO7IEAcNi9
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 22, 2023
The Blades, meanwhile, still climbed off the bottom of the table after coming so close to a brilliant, resilient, victory.
Leon Bailey had a goal disallowed and the hosts had three penalty claims rejected by VAR as they failed to make their dominance count.
It was supposed to be Villa’s ascension to the top of the Premier League, somewhere they had not been, outside the opening weeks of the season, since December 1998.
The contrast could not have been more different from three-and-a-half years ago when Villa drew 0-0 with the Blades and sat second bottom following the first game of the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ after the Covid outbreak.
Back then, in an empty stadium, Villa were fortunate to avoid defeat after Orjan Nyland fumbled Oliver Norwood’s free-kick over the line, only for referee Michael Oliver’s watch to fail to signal a goal.
It was a pivotal point in Villa’s fight for survival which, ultimately, gave them the platform to build.
Now, the fact they missed their chance to go above Arsenal, will not diminish their progress, although boss Unai Emery was noticeably angry at full-time after being frustrated by the gutsy visitors.
Blades boss Chris Wilder packed a five-man defence to contain the hosts and United lived dangerously early when Ollie Watkins was shoved by Vini Souza as he lurked for Lucas Digne’s cross.
VAR rejected Villa’s penalty appeals and then disappointed the hosts again when George Baldock blocked Watkins’ header from the resulting corner.
Inevitably, Villa were the aggressors with Wes Foderingham’s smart stop denying Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa heading over but there was no early procession.
With 15 straight home wins, the expectation was on Villa to roll the bottom side over but patience was still needed and Watkins hooked over from a Clement Lenglet knockdown.
It was one-way traffic, just without the goal, and the compact Blades would have been very content at the break.
Yet Wilder would have been fuming after 58 minutes when his side looked to have gifted Villa the opener until VAR intervened.
Baldock was sloppy as he tried to play the ball out as United cleared a corner and was robbed by Watkins, who swapped passed with Jacob Ramsey.
The England striker then crossed for Bailey to sweep in but play was eventually pulled back as Ramsey had fouled Foderingham at the corner.
Another VAR reprieve for the visitors came 15 minutes later when Baldock survived a handball review as Villa Park became increasingly anxious.
A brilliant shift from The Bladesmen. 👏
Unlucky not to get all three points at the end but we build & go again on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/btx9fd0phC
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) December 22, 2023
It emboldened the Blades and Norwood tested Emiliano Martinez from distance, their first shot, after 78 minutes before Konsa almost sliced Max Lowe’s cross into his own net.
Archer’s shot was blocked and Norwood drove over before United stunned Villa Park with three minutes left.
Vini Souza’s free-kick found Gustavo Hamer running behind and a brilliant piece of skill from the midfielder saw him leave John McGinn floundering.
The substitute then had the presence of mind to cut the ball back for Archer to convert from six yards.
Foderingham saved Alex Moreno’s header but Villa found a leveller deep in stoppage time when Zaniolo headed in Douglas Luiz’s cross.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal now 🤣 Finally🤣Here We Go Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal Haaland 🤣 Bro is still at the same team 🤣 🤣 Next step Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: zhibo8, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has reportedly confirmed that he would be willing to join Spanish giants Real Madrid.The 24-year-old joined Chelsea in February 2023 for a club-record fee of £107m, not long before breaching the nine-figure mark once again later that year to sign Moises Caicedo.But, rather unexpectedly, the Blues could soon sell the Argentina international for a profit.Xabi A...
Kylian Mbappe will wear the No. 10 jersey at Real Madrid next season, switching from the No. 9 he wore in his debut campaign with the club, a source confirmed to ESPN.The No. 10 is available following the exit of Luka Modric, who joined AC Milan following the end of his 13-year stay at the Bernabeu.Mbappe also wears No. 10 with the France national team and a source told ESPN that it had always bee...
Manchester City have entered discussions over the availability of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde.The 26-year-old, ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right-backs in the world right now, is admired by figures at City.But Barcelona are in no mood to let go of their man without a fight.City had an uncharacteristically difficult season last term, finishing third and registering nine loss...
Angel City agree to new deal with 18-year-old rising star PhairAngel City Football Club and 18-year-old forward Casey Phair agreed to a new three-year contract through 2028, locking the South Korea international into a deal to be a key member of the club's future.Garnacho backs away from Aston Villa move amid UCL transfer goalManchester United outcast Alejandro Garnacho is reportedly keen on signi...
Lukaku welcomes De Bruyne to Napoli: Did I advise him?Romelu Lukaku is happy Belgium teammate Kevin de Bruyne has joined him at Napoli.The Manchester City great had his presentation on the weekend in Naples.Lukaku said: 0"Did I advise De Bruyne to come? No, I didn't give him any advice."He's a very simple boy, very attached to his family. The only thing I told him was to come here, to prove himsel...
Chelsea Set Joao Felix Terms as Benfica Submit Cut-Price OfferChelsea have outlined their demands to Benfica for Joao Felix as the Portuguese playmaker nears a return to his former club this summer.According to O JOGO, the two clubs are getting closer to agreeing a deal that would see the 25-year-old return to Lisbon, six years after leaving to join Atletico Madrid.Benfica have offered around S...
Chelsea hope to profit on unwanted defender as Atletico Madrid launch huge bidAtletico Madrid have stepped up their efforts to sign Renato Veiga from Chelsea this summer as the Blues seek a profit.It cost the Blues just 312m to sign Renato Veiga a year ago and now the West London side are hoping to make nearly triple that fee as La Liga giants Atetico make their move for the 21 year old who is des...
Barcelona End Dumfries Pursuit as Focus Shifts to Keeping Man City Target Jules KoundeBarcelona have decided to end their interest in Inter defender Denzel Dumfries, with the club now fully focused on fending off Manchester City’s pursuit of Jules Kounde.According to Calciomercato, super-agent Jorge Mendes offered the 29-year-old to Barcelona this summer with previous reports revealing he ha...
Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Chelsea winger Raheem SterlingBayer Leverkusen are reportedly exploring a shock transfer move for Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling as Erik ten Hag steps up search for Florian Wirtz replacement.Leverkusen have already secured the signing of Malik Tillman from PSV for a reported fee of €35 million following the record sale of Wirtz to Liverpool.Accor...
- 1 Chelsea Deny Late Move to Hijack Man United Deal for Bryan Mbeumo
- 2 Man City make move for Jules Kounde
- 3 Enzo Fernandez agrees Real Madrid move
- 4 Diaz determined to leave for Bayern
- 5 AC Milan Reach Agreement with Brighton for Pervis Estupinan Transfer
- 6 'Man Utd are losing a great player!' - Paul Pogba reacts to Marcus Rashford's 'crazy' imminent transfer to Barcelona
- 7 Former Arsenal star Xhaka to reject Premier League return
- 8 Newcastle Look to Hijack Spurs Move for Evann Guessand Amid Transfer Stalemate
- 9 Ex-Premier League ace's wife shares bathroom selfie
- 10 Transfer news & rumours LIVE