The 18th round of the English Premier League started in the early hours of this morning, and the result was a big upset, the third-ranked Aston Villa drew 1-1 at home to the vice-leader Sheffield United, and tied Arsenal in points, but missed the top of the standings due to goal difference. Villa were held back by Sheffield United, with the visitors breaking the deadlock in the 87th minute and Zaniolo heading in the 97th minute to a draw, with Arsenal retaining top spot.
Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa midway through last season and the team's results immediately improved, and they were eventually offered a ticket to the Europa League. This summer, Villa made a series of moves in the transfer market, spending nearly 90 million euros to bring in Diaby and Pau Torres, and waived the signing of Belgium international midfielder Youri Tielemans, the team's third-tier squad has been further enriched, and Emery's ambitions are obvious.
Since the start of the season, Aston Villa's fighting power has soared, especially at home, and Aston Villa has reached the point of seeing who destroys whom. In two consecutive games at the beginning of December, Villa defeated the powerful Manchester City and Arsenal 1-0 at home, and suddenly entered the top three of the league. Prior to this game, Aston Villa had won 15 consecutive home games across the season, setting a new club record. Villa were just one point behind Arsenal before the game, and a win would see them top the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, which is undoubtedly a motivation for the team.
However, after the start of the game, Sheffield United, who were playing away, performed very strongly, strangled Villa in midfield, making Villa's attack unable to be effectively organized, and it was difficult to create too many chances, and the situation could not be opened for a long time. In the 87th minute, the visitors counter-attacked, Archer received a cross from the left of Hamel and pushed the goal to break the deadlock. Villa fought back wildly in the final stage, and in the 97th minute, Zaniolo scored with a header to equalize! But Villa had no time to score again, and finally drew 1-1 at home, and their hopes of reaching the Premier League again after 25 years were shattered, and their 15-game winning streak at home was also ended.