Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

72 mins: Lundstram sweeps a ball into the box from the right side of the pitch. McGoldrick is the target but Nyland comes out to uncomfortably punch the ball away. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

66 mins: El Ghazi puts the ball out for a goal kick with both teams preparing to make double substitutions at the second half drinks break. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

63 mins: Lundstram sends a cross into the box from the left wing looking for Sharp. Mings heads the ball away and Villa break down their left with Davis. He lays it off for Hourihane who whips the ball into the box only for the Sheffield United to take possession.  

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

60 mins: Henderson denies Villa again! Grealish centres the ball to John McGinn who shoots from the edge of the area. Henderson dives to his left and to make the save and pushes the ball out of play. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

57 mins: Close! Good stuff from Villa. Grealish receives the ball in the middle of the pitch and sends a perfectly weighted through ball in behind the defence. El Ghazi makes the run and collects the ball before squaring it across the area.Davis dives for the ball but doesn’t reach it. If he had it would have been the opener.  

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

54 mins: El Ghazi wins Villa a corner. Hourihane swings the ball into the middle of the box where Davis wins the header. He doesn’t generate any power on the ball and it lands softly in the hands of Dean Henderson. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

51 mins: Basham sends the ball across the pitch towards the left side of Villa’s area. It’s headed out of the box and falls to Stevens, who passes to McBurnie. McBurnie manages to return the ball to Stevens whilst under pressure and Stevens runs it to the edge of the box before firing it into the side-netting. 

Villa come closer to opening the scoring as Targett floats a ball into the centre of the box. Davis times his run well, brings the ball down on his chest and shoots. Henderson sticks out a right hand and deflects the ball wide of goal.  

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

48 mins: Targett lays the ball off to Hourihane and makes a run into the box. Hourihane slots the ball into the area looking for the return pass but Baldock holds up Targett and puts the ball out for a corner. The corner ball is whipped into the box but comes to nothing for Aston Villa.

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

Second half: Lots of questions for the referees about the Goal Decision System, which we hear is now working. Not that it helps Sheffield United. 

The second half is gets underway.

It’s goalless at half-time between Aston Villa and Sheffield United. Villa have been solid with Sheffield United a little underwhelming.

Norwood’s free kick is the talking point of the first half. The ball having clearly crossed the line but goalline technology and VAR were absent.

Imagine Chris Wilder’s reaction if Villa go on to win this 1-0. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

45 mins: Two minutes added time at the end of the first half. Controversy over the goalline technology has denied Sheffield United the opener. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

42 mins: Oh no! Sheffield United win a free kick on the left hand side of the pitch. Norwood swings the ball into the box. It curls massively and Nyland grabs it on the far post. He runs into Davis and falls back into the goal pulling the ball across the line as he does so. 

Michael Oliver looks at his watch, where the goalline technology tells him if the ball crossed the line. It says no and so does he. No goal.

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

39 mins: Robinson does well to deny McGinn a chance on goal. Villa send the ball up from the left wing and it’s flicked on into the box. McGinn makes a cutting run to meet it with Robinson on his shoudler. The Sheffield United defender holds his ground and McGinn loses the ball.

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

33 mins: Nyland comes off his line to claim the corner ball and he tries to send El Ghazi free with a long throw forward. Baldock is aware of the threat and intercepts the ball. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

27 mins: El Ghazi goes down in the box under a tackle from Lundstram but Michael Oliver waves the game on. 

Aston Villa 0 – 0 Sheffield United

24 mins: The players take a mandated refreshment break. Socially distanced of course.