Former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has swiped at two 'non-existent' Villa players as the club drop points against Leeds United.
Villa were made to sweat at Villa Park as Leeds grabbed a deserved half-time lead, only for the hosts to rescue a point deep into the second half in a frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United - Villa Park
Unai Emery's side dominated possession throughout — finishing the afternoon with three quarters of the ball — but for long periods they simply could not find a way through a disciplined and determined Leeds rearguard.
Daniel Farke's men arrived with one of the worst away records in the division, but nobody told them that for the first 45 minutes.
It was Anton Stach who did the damage on 31 minutes, with the German midfielder driving a powerful left-footed free-kick past the Villa keeper to hand the visitors a shock lead.
It was a moment of world-class quality, and Leeds went into the break with their noses in front, despite Villa's dominance with the ball.
The second half brought more of the same — Villa probing, creating half-chances, Leeds defending for their lives.
unai-emery-aston-villa-premier-league Related
English star 'prioritising' Aston Villa transfer to work with Emery after Newcastle deal hijacked last year
He's made his top choice crystal clear.
Morgan Rogers worked hard throughout and Tammy Abraham threatened at various moments, while Ollie Watkins struggled to make a meaningful contribution before being replaced.
Leeds, to their credit, stayed organised and compact, collecting yellow cards along the way as the tackles flew in — four bookings in total for Farke's men.
Villa's pressure eventually told, but it took until the 88th minute for them to find their leveller. It was late, it was fortunate, and ultimately it felt more like relief than celebration for the home faithful.
Unai-Emery
Villa's grip on third place remains intact, but dropped home points are becoming a concern for Emery's side.
For Leeds, 15th place and relative safety, but they will wonder whether a bit more belief might have secured all three.
Tim Sherwood takes aim at 'non-existent' Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey
When Villa were struggling to break down a stubborn Leeds side, two players stole Sherwood's attention as men who simply were not doing their bit for Emery's side at all.
Emiliano-Buendia
For all of their huffing and puffing for a late winner, the Whites held out, and Sherwood suggested on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday that Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey were invisible.
It wasn't all their fault, though, with the ex-Villa head coach saying Emery was at fault for his tactics too.
"Buendia and Bailey have been non-existent in this game. They're playing to narrow," Sherwood said.
"Emery needs to change something quickly. But this game is still for turning around."
The stalemate leaves Villa six points clear of Man United and still in a strong position, but Emery will be ruing their missed chance to close ground on league leaders Arsenal.
Next up, Emery's men travel to Wolves before hosting Chelsea and making the trip to Old Trafford, and these next three games will go a long way to deciding whether they'll be playing Champions League football next season.
Behind-the-scenes, Villa are poised to hold talks over a permanent deal for Jadon Sancho.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery reacts Related
[Aston Villa now set to hold talks to sign former Chelsea star, Emery thinks he's "fantastic"](https://www.footballfancast.com/aston-villa-now-set-to-hold-transfer-talks-jadon-sancho-unai-emery/ "Aston Villa now set to hold talks to sign former Chelsea star, Emery thinks he's "fantastic"")
Unai Emery has given the green light...