Sheffield United v Aston Villa: Premier League – as it happened

Ollie Watkins: ““It’s a massive win,” says Villa’s striker. “Obviously the scoreline is great but it’s also a great performance from the boys. It’s massive for us to bounce back after the defeat midweek against Newcastle. Our away form hasn’t been up to scratch so it was a big performance for us today and a great win.”

Unai Emery: “I’m happy because before the match we were very focused to react,” says the Villa boss, in an interview with the BBC. “We scored goals, created chances and stopped them. Winning away is difficult. It was better than we were thinking at the beginning. We were clinical. We conceded two good chances at the end of the match.”

Premier League: “Those who doubted Villa’s durability may want to pause for thought,” writes Sam Dalling from Bramall Lane. “This was a separation in class, an exercise in Villa incision and in shadow chasing for their hapless hosts.”

Villa put five past Sheffield United. And what’s more, they had five different scorers. John McGinn got the show on the road, rifling into an empty net after Anel Ahmedhodzic had hooked an Ollie Watkins dink off the line.

Mr Watkins got Villa’s second, finishing with aplomb after running on to an exquisite Douglas Luiz pass from deep. Leon Bailey scored their third, cutting inside his man before curling a purler into the top corner, while Youri Tielemans’s was the next cab off the rank to make it 4-0 after 30 minutes.

Less than two minutes after the break, Alex Moreno spanked home Villa’s fifth and that’s how the score stayed despite a spirited but utterly futile effort from United towards the end of the game. Emi Martinez was forced to make a double-save, while Vniicius Souza had what he thought was a late consolation chalked off for offside.

A quick recap: Aston Villa turned up, Sheffield United didn’t.

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeep! Referee Paul Tierney puts Sheffield United, their manager and their fans out of their miserty on a night where the home side have been humbled from Villa. It was a tremendous performance from Aston Villa, who have put their January wobble firmly behind them.

90+5 min: Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder looks stoney-faced on the touchline, standing with his arms folded wondering if any of the match officials will be impertinent enough to eat a snack if he decides to go into their dressing-room to complain about that decision. But for the narrow offside, it was a well-worked training ground free-kick that Sheffield United probably shouldn’t have showcased in public during added time of a game in which they were 5-0 down. Now everyone will know about it.

That. Is. Brutal. After an age, the curtain-twitchers in Stockley Park finally rule out Sheffield United’s goal for offside. It’s as you were and Aston Villa lead 5-0 at Bramall Lane.

90+3 min: Hmmm, I think this is going to be ruled out for offside by VAR.

90 min: Sheffield United win a free-kick for a Kamara foul on Ahmedhodzic. It’s directly in front of goal, about 28 yards out. Gustavo Hamer stands over it and … instead of shooting, curls the ball to the left. It’s headed across the face of goal by Jack Robinson and Vinicius Souza stretches to hook home from close range.

87 min: This win will send Villa fourth in the table, two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur. Sheffield United will remain anchored to the bottom, ten points from safety with a diabolical goal difference that is conspicuously worse than anyone else at the foot of the table.

85 min: Matty Cash advances upfield unopposed before sliding a pass in behind for Diaby. His cross drops kindly for Rogers in the Sheffield United box but the debutant sends his effort high over the bar.

83 min: Ben Osborn curls a cross into the centre and out of play when the shot was on. It doesn’t make much, or indeed any difference at this stage but he should have had a pop.

80 min: Aston Villa substitution: Morgan Rogers comes on to make his Villa and Premier League debut, having signed from Middlesbrough on deadline day. He’s a local lad, who began his footballing journey in the West Brom academy.

78 min: Sheffield United somehow fail to score from the corner, with Emi Martinez pulling off a terrific double-save from Anel Ahmedhozic and then Jack Robinson, after Ollie Watkins had cleared a header from the latter off the line.

77 min: Sheffield United break upfield after Villa had squandered a two-man overlap at the other end. Cameron Archer jinks this way and that, trying to make room to get a cross in. His delivery is blocked and the ball goes out for a corner.

73 min: Tom Davies, formerly of Everton, is on for Sheffield United for his first appearance since being injured in September. His long blond locks have been shorn and he’s sporting a buzz-cut with a flat go-faster stripe mohawk down the middle. James McAtee makes way. Aston Villa substitution: TimIroegbunam comes on for John McGinn.

72 min: Moussa Diaby brings a smart save out of Wes Foderingham after cutting inside the Sheffield United penalty area and getting the ball on to his left foot.

69 min: With Villa five goals up and apparently happy not to pile even more humiliation upon their hosts, the final 20 minutes of this game look set to become something of an exercise in almost total futility. One suspects that both sides would be delighted if Paul Tierney blew up early.

66 min: Graham Potter is in the stands, watching with interest. He’s definitely not being lined up to replace Unai Emery, who is going nowhere. One suspects that in the extremely unlikely event that Sheffield United are already thinking of handing Chris Wilder his P45 after just six weeks in the job, Potter wouldn’t touch the Blades job with a barge-pole.

62 min: With more and more unoccupied red seats visible in the Bramall Lane stands, Aston Villa continue to toy with Sheffield United. The ball goes out for a throw-in and Chris Wilder uses the pause in play to send Cameron Archer on in place of Ben Brereton-Diaz. No pressure, Cameron. Just the five goals required.

59 min: Aston Villa double substitution: Matty Cash and Moussa on for Ezri Konsa and Leon Bailey.

57 min: Villa free-kick, wide on the left. Ezri Konsa stoops to try to convert a header at the far post and needs treatment. During the break in play, there’s a VAR check to see if Auston Trusty had caught him in the face with a wayward boot, but the Sheffield United defender’s intervention was not illegal as he put the ball out for a corner.

53 min: Sheffield United have now conceded 59 goals in the Premier League this season, the second most of any team in Uefa’s top flight leagues. Only Newry City (65) in Northern Ireland have shipped more, although their record could go this evening. (Spotter’s badge: Match of the Day)

49 min: Having seen his side concede another goal within 90 seconds of the restart, Chris Wilder makes two more changes. Andre Brooks and Rhys Norrington-Davies are replaced by Ben Osborn and Jack Robinson.

Villa make it five! Auston Trusty makes a dog’s breakfast of a clearance, Ollie Watkins stands the ball up for Alex Moreno at the far post and the Villa left-back waits for it to drop before spanking home a volley.

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46 min: Play resumes, with one change of personnel on each side. Gustavo Hamer has been tasked with recuing Sheffield United, with William Osula making way. Jacob Ramsey is on for Villa, all the better to allow Douglas Luiz to compulsively obsess about his sock turn-ups in the dugout.

Peep! Sheffield United’s half-hearted performance is greeted by a similarly half-hearted chorus of boos from those fans who haven’t yet left the ground or adjourned to the concourse bars for a much-needed pint. Their thoroughly dispirited players troop off, four goals down against an Aston Villa side that have barely tried a leg since scoring their most recent goal on the 30 minute mark.

45+3 min: Youri Tielemans tries to thread the ball between defenders for Watkins to chase but puts too much weight on his pass, allowing Fodderingham to collect. It’s half-time.

45+1 min: With half-time approaching, you’d genuinely have to worry for the welfare of any Sheffield United players brave enough to refuel with sandwiches while their boss – a Premier League manager, no less – is addressing them. I wonder is his stance on energy gels and protein bars is identical?

45 min: Jayden Bogle is booked for a needlessly crude challenge on Alex Moreno that looks borne out of frustration and embarrassment.

42 min: Leon Bailey performs a soft-shoe shuffle to get in behind Norrington-Davies and advance up the byline. Hedrills the ball towards the near post, where Anel Ahmedhodzic blocks his cross.

41 min: Norrington-Davies cuts out an attempted through ball from Babacar Kamara to Leon Bailey, who had timed his run in behind to perfection. Kamara apologises to his teammate.

38 min: Perhaps out of professional courtesy and an unwillingness to humiliate their hosts, Villa’s players already seem to have taken their foot off the gas and are just passing the ball around in the space between the halfway line and the edge of the final third.

Their Sheffield United counterparts seem happy enough with this arrangement but Unai Emery isn’t having it. The Villa manager is urging his players on from the touchline, demanding that they up the tempo.

36 min: Ezri Konsa plays an inviting ball up the inside right channel for Leon Bailey to chase. Rhys Norrington-Davies beats the Villa winger to it and averts the danger.