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Victor Petkov
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Aston Villa saves the point vs Sheffield with the last gasp
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Nicolo Zaniolo equalized at the 97th minute

Aston Villa was seconds away from losing to a resilient Sheffield United side, but a 97th-minute goal from Nicolo Zaniolo secured a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.

As expected, the match at Villa Park began with pressure from the home side. In the first quarter of the game, Aston Villa dominated their opponents, creating two heart-stopping moments in front of Sheffield United’s goal. In both instances, the hosts appealed for a penalty, but VAR ruled in favor of the visitors on both occasions.

In the 23rd minute, Ezri Konsa had a superb opportunity to open the scoring but shot inaccurately from a prime position. Just before the half-hour mark, after a corner kick, Ollie Watkins fired from close range but sent the ball out. At the start of the second half, the hosts continued to be the more active team, creating better opportunities in front of the opposition goal.

In the 59th minute, Aston Villa found the net, only to have the goal overturned after a VAR review. The hosts earned the right to take another corner kick near Sheffield United’s goal. The ball was delivered into the goalkeeper’s box, where the visitors’ keeper, Fotheringham, failed to intervene effectively, and his teammates made a fatal mistake in clearing the ball. Ultimately, Leon Bailey scored for the “Villans,” but the head referee received signals from his assistants of a foul by Jacob Ramsey against the guests’ goalkeeper.

After a thorough VAR examination, Villa’s goal was disallowed due to Ramsey’s pulling against Fotheringham.

Following the annulled goal by Villa, Sheffield United gained a significant momentum in the game. Within a few minutes, Chris Wilder’s players managed to take several shots, with Emiliano Martinez having to make crucial interventions in two instances.

In the seventh minute of added time, a superb cross from Douglas Luiz found Nicolo Zaniolo, who headed past Wesley Foderingham, securing the late equalizer for Aston Villa.