Man Utd defeated once more, and Aston Villa and Man City...

Man Utd defeated once more, and Aston Villa and Man City are closing on the Premier League lead.

Douglas Luiz’s late penalty helped Aston Villa defeat 10-man Burnley 3-2 to go up to joint first place in the Premier

League, while Manchester City reduced the gap on the leaders by thrashing Sheffield United 2-0.

But Erik ten Hag’s team lost 2-1 against Nottingham Forest, proving that their incredible comeback victory over Villa

on Boxing Day was a mirage.

After losing 3-2 at United despite leading 2-0 and losing at home to Sheffield United for the first time this season, it

appeared that Villa’s forgettable Christmas season was all set to continue.

But Luiz’s penalty kick, which shaved off the underside of the bar, pulled Unai Emery’s team level with Liverpool at

the top of the standings.

Zeki Amdouni for Burnley promptly cancelled out Leon Bailey’s opening goal for the home team.

Before the half, Moussa Diaby gave Villa their lead again, and Sander Berge’s second yellow card meant that Villa

would have a man advantage for the last thirty-five minutes.

However, opponents are itching to exploit Villa’s high line, and Lyle Foster timed his run perfectly to blast past Emi

Martinez with 19 minutes remaining.

But there was one last twist: Luiz blasted home, upending Jhon Duran inside the box.

“Everyone is so happy, we need to enjoy the moment,” stated Luiz.

“We haven’t played that good the past three games. The season is halfway over, the players are worn out, and we

have lost three or four key players due to injuries. Despite the difficulties, we must persevere.