Donaldson double denies Villans
IT may be the season of giving, but Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce was left scratching his head after seeing his side gift Sheffield United a point at Villa Park.
Villa roared into a two-goal lead inside ten minutes as Albert Adomah scored from the spot before Mile Jedinak doubled the advantage.
But former Birmingham City man Clayton Donaldson hit back with a double to ensure a share of the spoils, leaving Bruce to rue individual errors.
“I’m totally disappointed,” he said. “The one thing you can’t legislate for is individual error. It cost us last week and it’s cost us again in another big game.
“After a wonderful start and getting in front, we’ve gifted two goals to them and that’s disappointing because the one area we looked strong was defensively.
“We gifted them the opportunity to get back into the game and before you know it, it’s a difficult game – the crowd and everybody else has got on edge because of what we’ve basically given to them.
“If we’re going to be successful, we have to eradicate these mistakes.”
Having failed to score in their last two matches, Villa took less than four minutes to break the deadlock this time out after Richard Stearman fouled Keinan Davis in the area.
Adomah stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner as Simon Moore dived the wrong way.
Five minutes later, Villa doubled their lead – Jedinak rising highest to meet Robert Snodgrass’ right-wing free-kick and head in across goal.
Donaldson pulled one back in the 12th minute, however, racing onto John Lundstram’s long ball behind the defence before lofting coolly over Sam Johnstone and in.
And Donaldson then levelled proceedings on 26 minutes, taking full advantage of Jedinak’s sloppy missed interception to pounce on the loose ball and fire low and hard through Johnstones legs.
Just three minutes later, Adomah could have restored the lead but headed just wide across goal at the back post from Ahmed Elmohamady’s right-wing cross.
The frantic pace of the early exchanges did slow down as the game wore on, though Mark Duffy’s riding strike five minutes into the second-half – after Lundstram’s powerful run – was tipped over one-handed by Johnstone.
Blades captain Leon Clarke then missed a great chance to put the visitors in front on 62 minutes, meeting George Baldock’s cross in space at the back post but heading wide.
Both sides made a double change as they pushed for a late winner but they remain level on points and locked in their battle for a play-off place as the turn of the year approaches.
“It was a terrible start from us and we got ourselves off the canvas to go toe-to-toe with some good players and a massive football club in this division,” said satisfied Blades manager Chris Wilder.
“It’s not the greatest result Sheffield United have ever had but it shows an enormous amount of what we’re about.
“It was more of an attitude and character one, more than a freeflowing performance.
“We possibly deserved a little bit more from some of our recent games but this was the performance I needed from our players.
“It’s not the biggest result of the day but if you look at our changing room, it does feel like a win.”