Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Post-Match

[olaftab]

He only pushed it away, it's not as if he caught it!

[LeeB]

Someone still needs to explain to me how this wasn’t handball?

https://x.com/tamworthlion/status/1738460564328743398?s=46

It's the kind of thing that is the reason the hand ball law exists

[Toronto Villa]

He only pushed it away, it's not as if he caught it!

Yeh. True. Well that’s ok then. Unreal.

[Toronto Villa]

Someone still needs to explain to me how this wasn’t handball?

https://x.com/tamworthlion/status/1738460564328743398?s=46

It's the kind of thing that is the reason the hand ball law exists

Yet they will give it for a ball that grazes a follicle because the arm is somewhat in an unnatural position in a game being played at 100 mph at close quarters. These officials and rule makers are fucking morons.

[The Edge]

We’ve got to work out a way of breaking these teams down they’re starting to work us out now.  Far too slow far too ponderous.

Spot on. Everyone outside the top six are now just defending deep. Brighton came to Villa Park with an attacking game plan and we smashed them 6-1. Coaches up and down the country saw that and things changed. They all set out to defend deep now and the challenge for Emery and the coaches is to come up with a counter plan and that will define our season now. Diaby's drop off in form is quite alarming and he could be the key to breaking teams down if we can get him firing on all cylinders again.

[Nii Lamptey]

Regardless of the decisions last night, we didn't play well enough to beat them. The constant breaks with VAR stealing the limelight killed any atmosphere we might have created, and this projected onto the pitch imo.

We've had some dubious VAR calls go our way in recent times, so let's not go full 'Arteta spitting dummy out' when they don't - Some you win, some you lose (though yes, there were a lot of REALLY BAD ones last night). Wilder did a number on us and their gameplan warranted them going home with a point - We'll learn from it and move on.

After just watching the Spam/Yanited game, we can go up there and clear the system out - Panic over. UTV.

[The Edge]

Regardless of the decisions last night, we didn't play well enough to beat them. The constant breaks with VAR stealing the limelight killed any atmosphere we might have created, and this projected onto the pitch imo.

We've had some dubious VAR calls go our way in recent times, so let's not go full 'Arteta spitting dummy out' when they don't - Some you win, some you lose (though yes, there were a lot of REALLY BAD ones last night). Wilder did a number on us and their gameplan warranted them going home with a point - We'll learn from it and move on.

After just watching the Spam/Yanited game, we can go up there and clear the system out - Panic over. UTV.

This. They got the rub of the green off VAR but that's how it goes sometimes. I don't want to see us go full Arsenal or Brentford type meltdowns with rattles and dummies everywhere because I watched the reaction from both fanbase and they were laughable. I'd like us to show class and rise above all that. We're Aston Villa not some poxy little whiny club from London.

[Lastfootstamper]

In total, we wasted about 10 minutes last night trying 'to draw' the opponents on to us so that we could pass out from the back. It should have been obvious early on that this wasn't going to happen.

We need a plan B in such circumstances. All we did was slow the game down to a snails pace which played into Sheffield's hands. Reminiscent of the Forest fiasco which I am sure Wilder studied.

This will not go unnoticed by other managers and we need a Plan B, C or D fast.

A target man up with Watkins, two players hugging the touchline (make pitch bigger), long boots/throws from Martinez etc. Once we get that first goal things will then open up naturally and we can then play our preferred game.

We failed to adapt fast enough last night and paid the price.

There is more than one way to peel a potato.

I very much doubt I'm alone in wishing to know of second way. Especially at this time of year.

[martyn ellis]

Someone still needs to explain to me how this wasn’t handball?

https://x.com/tamworthlion/status/1738460564328743398?s=46

Agreed. The ball hits his arm (or rather he hits the ball with a deliberate movement of the arm) below the sleeve level - that's evident. terrible decision.
Someone also needs to explain to me how a deliberate and heavy shove in the back, which deprives the player of an attempt on goal is not a penalty.
Someone also needs to explain to me how Duran, having been fouled and is trying to free himself from a player with having handfuls of his shirt in said player's hand, then gets a free kick given against him.
Someone also needs to explain to me why an attacking player jostling with the defenders who shove him into the goalkeeper. whom he momentarily holds, is then penalised 6.7 seconds and five Sheff Utd touches later to overrule a perfectly legal goal.
Someone also needs to explain to me why, in the very last seconds, when Zaniolo gets taken out from behind illegally, he gets told to get up by Anthony Taylor, thus ruling out a free kick in a dangerous area, which could have made a difference. These are all ifs and buts, but there were some very 'iffy' decisions out there tonight. 

[Lastfootstamper]

Re. the handball, it looks very much to me that our player lifts their player's arm to the ball.

[Toronto Villa]

Re. the handball, it looks very much to me that our player lifts their player's arm to the ball.

I think that’s just the angle you’re seeing. I don’t think Ramsey has any impact on the defender choosing to do that.

[The Edge]

Someone still needs to explain to me how this wasn’t handball?

https://x.com/tamworthlion/status/1738460564328743398?s=46

Agreed. The ball hits his arm (or rather he hits the ball with a deliberate movement of the arm) below the sleeve level - that's evident. terrible decision.
Someone also needs to explain to me how a deliberate and heavy shove in the back, which deprives the player of an attempt on goal is not a penalty.
Someone also needs to explain to me how Duran, having been fouled and is trying to free himself from a player with having handfuls of his shirt in said player's hand, then gets a free kick given against him.
Someone also needs to explain to me why an attacking player jostling with the defenders who shove him into the goalkeeper. whom he momentarily holds, is then penalised 6.7 seconds and five Sheff Utd touches later to overrule a perfectly legal goal.
Someone also needs to explain to me why, in the very last seconds, when Zaniolo gets taken out from behind illegally, he gets told to get up by Anthony Taylor, thus ruling out a free kick in a dangerous area, which could have made a difference. These are all ifs and buts, but there were some very 'iffy' decisions out there tonight.

That's the first time I've seen this. Did var look at that and not give the pen? If so WTAF?

[The Edge]

Re. the handball, it looks very much to me that our player lifts their player's arm to the ball.

I think that’s just the angle you’re seeing. I don’t think Ramsey has any impact on the defender choosing to do that.

It's got nothing to do with Ramsey. Their player moves his own arm and deliberately nudges the ball away. I'm just getting a look at this and that is a scandalous decision.

[RamboandBruno]

We’ve got to work out a way of breaking these teams down they’re starting to work us out now.  Far too slow far too ponderous.

Spot on. Everyone outside the top six are now just defending deep. Brighton came to Villa Park with an attacking game plan and we smashed them 6-1. Coaches up and down the country saw that and things changed. They all set out to defend deep now and the challenge for Emery and the coaches is to come up with a counter plan and that will define our season now. Diaby's drop off in form is quite alarming and he could be the key to breaking teams down if we can get him firing on all cylinders again.

To put this in context, since we beat Brighton 6-1, in the league we have won 7, drawn 3 and lost 1. I don’t think anything has changed since the Brighton game other than we have got more relentless.

[ExclDawg]

After watching the match highlights, this thread should be named Villa v Sheffield and VAR.

I'll give SU credit though, they certainly came to park the bus, and kept it organized throughout, so fair play to them.

That said, the VAR decisions were pretty shocking:

- Ollie takes a clear two handed shove to the back while in the box.  While I'm under the opinion that he shouldn't have embellished the fall to the ground so much and that ultimately may have been why he didn't get the call, it should have still been called.

- The disallowed Bailey goal. What in the world? Keeper does get fouled, but he gets back up, dusts himself off, gets back into position, considers if he should grab a quick drink of water from behind the net and check the scores of some other games while his defender dribbles the ball upfield, fixes his hair, and then the defender loses the ball and we score.   How is that not a new start of play?  Should we disallow their goal because Duran took a foul 5 minutes earlier that went uncalled?

- The handball?  How was this even a question? Even from the terrible rear angle (why in the world do they pick the worst possible angle to show for the reviews) .. you could see his right arm move clearly to the left deflecting the ball in that direction. Unless he is incredibly double-jointed, I don't see how a shoulder could redirect a ball that much.

- Durans foul.  Granted they didn't give the red for thus, but when his shirt is being stretched twice the width of his body, and he swipes his arm to free himself while hitting 99% shirt and 1% head, it's pretty obvious he was aiming for the shirt.  How was that a free kick for them?