Sheff Utd 0 Aston Villa 5
Bottom of the table Sheff Utd are starting to run out of games to get themselves to safety. Aston Villa travelled to Bramall Lane looking to bounce back after their first home defeat of the season in midweek. Both clubs needing the three points for very different reasons.
The hosts got off to a good start, playing the ball down the left to Brereton Diaz, who cut inside towards goal. He got a shot off which Martinez saved, just about, but as the ball squirmed underneath him the Argentine had to get another hand to it before it crossed the line.
Some neat passing from Villa saw Watkins put through on goal. He dinked it over Foderingham but saw his effort come back off the post, with McGinn reacting quickest to tap the ball into an empty net to give Unai Emery’s side an early lead.
Things went from bad to worse for The Blades as Douglas Luiz played a sublime pass on the outside of his boot to find Ollie Watkins who slotted it past the Sheff Utd keeper and doubled the visitors’ lead with only sixteen minutes gone.
Credit: @AVFCOfficial
Chris Wilders’ team proved to be no mentality monsters as they began to fold like the world origami champion. Leon Bailey was played in and he bent the ball past Foderingham and into the far corner to make it three-nil with only twenty minutes played.
At this point, Sheff Utd fans must have been wondering whether it was cheaper to go to a brothel every week and get a dominatrix to lash them with a whip for this level of pain they were putting themselves through. It was becoming a weekly theme now.
There are nightclubs up and down the country who would be concerned about fire regulations if they were letting as many in as The Blades are so regularly. With points of a premium to Wilder’s side, the best front three in the world could not outscore what they are conceding.
Unai Emery celebrated like he had just heard the Count on Sesame Street had dyed his hair blonde. His side continued to press and as a corner found Tielemans on the back post, his volley was headed off the line to prevent more pain for the home fans.
The joy lasted minutes as the following corner was drilled from just inside the box by Tielemans, thundering against the underside of the bar and in. Fans had started to leave after the third goal in the home end, pretending to friends that they had remembered they’d left the cooker on.
As the second half started, those masochists who had stayed were hoping some wise words from Chris Wilder would lead to a transformation in their team. As Moreno volleyed home Watkins’ cross, heads dropped all around Bramall Lane.
Credit: @AVFCOfficial
Sheff Utd have had so many beatings in their own home this season, rumours were circulating that the team were going to be rehoused in a refuge next week. Yet Aston Villa continued to attack and Konsa almost added a sixth.
Foderingham made a save to prevent the visitors but by this stage there were so many empty seats in the ground, you could be forgiven for thinking Bramall Lane was hosting a Man City Champions League match. The roads would definitely be clear at the final whistle.
Hamer then clipped a free kick into the box, which was headed across goal for Vinicius Souza to volley home. The fans who stayed were rewarded with a consolation until the VAR studio decided to rub salt in the wound and disallow the goal for offside.
Aston Villa took all the points, Sheff Utd just got another mauling for their troubles. As each game week passes, the odds on The Blades staying up edge ever closer to us having contact with aliens by the end of the Premier League season.
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