Amid stiff competition, Aston Villa are staking their claim to be the Premier League’s most frustrating team. They threw away a winning position for the third time this season and the second in under a week, goals from Anwar El Ghazi and the excellent John McGinn finding responses from Jay Rodriguez and Chris Wood. Burnley, outplayed for 45 minutes but back to their belligerent selves after half-time, deserved their point but the frustration in Villa Park was palpable by the conclusion.
Dean Smith had lamented the fact his side “put the brakes on” in allowing
Arsenal to defeat them at the Emirates last Sunday but there was little wrong with Villa’s early tempo. They thought it had brought them a 25th-minute lead when McGinn, meeting Conor Hourihane’s delivery from the left, deftly found the corner. It was only when the celebrations had subsided that Lee Mason signalled the goal would not count. A VAR review had noticed Hourihane was half a yard offside when he received possession; replays showed there was little argument but, while decisions take this long to resolve, the system will remain flawed.