Aston Villa strike late but former player stops them going top of Premier League

Zaniolo nets in stoppage time but McGinn and Co won’t top tree at Christmas

Aston Villa missed out on the chance to go top of the English Premier League on Friday night following a 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United.

Victory for Unai Emery’s men, who started the night third in the table, would have put them two points clear of Arsenal ahead of their match on Saturday evening match with third-placed Liverpool, but they came up against a resolute Blades outfit who showed plenty of spirit under their new manager Chris Wilder. They looked set to win their first away match of the season thanks to an 87th-minute goal by Cameron Archer, but in the eighth minute of stoppage time, Italian forward Nicolo Zaniolo scored his first goal for Villa to ensure a share of the spoils.

Captained by Scotland midfielder John McGinn, Villa went into this match as warm favourites to prevail over the league’s bottom club and despite a lot of pressure in the first half, they were unable to find a way past Wes Foderingham in the United goal. The visitors survived an early VAR penalty check and looked far more competitive than they had done under previous boss Unai Emery.

Leon Bailey of Aston Villa is challenged by Yasser Larouci of Sheffield United.

United had kept Villa talisman Ollie Watkins reasonably quiet but he did set up Leon Bailey with a cutback for what looked to be the opening goal on 59 minutes, only for VAR to intervene and rule the strike out for a foul on Foderingham in the build-up. Villa continued to have most of the pressure but could not find away through.

Then, against the run of play, United took the lead. Gustavo Hamer created it, cutting in from the left and firing the ball across goal for Archer to net from close range. The goal would have hurt more for Villa given that they sold the young striker to United in the summer.

Unperturbed, Villa went in search of the equaliser and once nine minutes of stoppage time were signalled, the crowd roared them on. The leveller came when Douglas Luiz sent in a teasing cross that Zaniolo beat Foderingham to, the Italian’s header creeping in under the bar to move Villa up to second, while United move off the bottom of the table.