Aston Villa missed the opportunity to become the leader of the Premier League on Friday night. At Villa Park, Unai Emery's team dominated Sheffield United for ninety minutes, but failed to score and ultimately had to settle for a point after a fine piece of skill from Gustavo Hamer. Therefore, Liverpool and Arsenal will decide on Saturday who will be at the top come Christmas.
Of course, the action at Villa Park unfolded in only one direction. Aston Villa attacked, and Sheffield United defended.
After about ten minutes, the VAR was consulted for a potential penalty, but if there was any pushing on Ollie Watkins, it wasn't deemed serious enough to intervene. Moussa Diaby did test Wes Foderingham, the Blades' goalkeeper, who managed to punch the shot away.
Manager Chris Wilder had built a solid wall in his defense, with Villa enjoying almost constant possession but creating threats only sparingly. The 0-0 scoreline at halftime wasn't particularly surprising. The deadlock meant there was no reason for either team to change their approach.
It went nearly an hour without a goal when Foderingham was late to catch a corner, and Leon Bailey opened the scoring from the resulting scramble. Or at least, that's what Bailey thought. After an extensive VAR intervention, referee Anthony Taylor reviewed the situation and detected a foul on Foderingham. Villa continued to press, and Villa Park clamored for a penalty in a situation that looked suspiciously like handball. The officials weren't in Birmingham to assist Villa – this appeal was also dismissed.
This setback seemed to break Villa's spirit a bit. The Villans had struggled to create clear chances against Wilder's red-and-white defensive wall, and after this setback, Sheffield United even had occasional opportunities to venture into the opponent's half. While not particularly threatening, the newly-promoted side managed to score about three minutes before the end.
During a free-kick, Gustavo Hamer went unnoticed. The Dutchman skillfully eluded Villa sensation John McGinn and set up Cameron Archer, who scored from close range. Villa, naturally, pushed forward at full force, had a significant chance to at least secure a draw, but Foderingham saved a powerful header from Alex Moreno.
Nine minutes were added, following all those VAR moments, during which substitute Nicolò Zaniolo salvaged a point, but the scoreline didn't go beyond 1-1. After fifteen consecutive home victories, Villa found themselves frustrated by the bottom-placed team. The audience in Birmingham walked out bewildered. Before their Christmas festivities even begin, they are already spoiled, courtesy of Sheffield United, who played the role of The Grinch.
