With the league lead in mind, Aston Villa was only just able to avoid an embarrassment at the start of the 18th matchday against penultimate Sheffield. After victories against the top teams Manchester City and Arsenal FC (1-0 each), team manager Unai Emery’s team only managed a 1-1 draw (0-0) against the previous bottom team, Sheffield United, on Friday (December 22, 2023).
Thanks to Nicolo Zaniolo’s injury-time equalizer (90+8), the team from Birmingham climbed to second place. With a win, Villa would have at least temporarily pushed Arsenal off the top spot. But now the gap could increase to the Londoners, who will be challenged in the top game against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool FC on Saturday (6.30 p.m./live ticker at sportschau.de).
Villa initially celebrated the supposed opening goal by former Leverkusen player Leon Bailey (59′). However, the goal did not count because of a foul; referee Anthony Taylor took it back after viewing the video images. In the final stages, Cameron Archer (87th) struck on the opposite side when Villa’s defense was disorganized. Then Zaniolo saved the point late on with his first Premier League goal.