Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

There is a theory that the festive period produces more goals than usual but Aston Villa and Sunderland reverted to type on an afternoon when the home team were forced to play with 10 men for the fourth time this season. Fabian Delph’s dismissal in the 49th minute, after a lunge on Jordi Gómez, handed the initiative to Sunderland, but the closest the visitors came to forcing a breakthrough was when the Spanish midfielder hit the upright in the 89th minute.

The stalemate represented a predictable outcome. Villa have now scored only 11 times in 19 league matches – a dismal tally – and Sunderland also average less than a goal per game. No prizes for guessing what department of the pitch needs some fresh blood in the January transfer window.

While Sunderland will feel frustrated that they failed to make their numerical advantage count – Connor Wickham and Adam Johnson both had decent opportunities in the second half – Villa could also have won the game. Seconds after Gómez arrowed a 20-yard shot against the far post, Leandro Bacuna was denied by Costel Pantilimon.

The opening 45 minutes was not exactly inspiring stuff. In fact, it was desperately dull at times as both teams struggled to carve open any clear-cut chances. There was little tempo to the game, the passing was laboured and when either side did get near the penalty area there was never much danger of a goal. A couple of hopeful shots from Wickham and a 20-yard drive from Charles N’Zogbia, comfortably saved by Pantilimon, was as good as it got.

There was much more to talk about at the start of the second half. Only two minutes after Andreas Weimann had wastefully dragged a left-footed shot wide after being released by Carlos Sánchez, Delph was sent off. Lunging for the ball following a short throw-in, Delph planted his boot on the top of Gómez’s left foot. The initial reaction was that Delph was a touch unfortunate to be dismissed by the referee, Martin Atkinson, but the challenge – reckless rather than malicious – did not look too clever on television replays.

Sunderland now had the momentum. Johnson, set up by Wickham, ought to have done better with a shot from 10 yards that Guzan easily gathered.

Three minutes later the roles were reversed as Johnson ran along the byline and cut the ball back. Wickham had two stabs at forcing it home but Bacuna did just enough to deflect the ball behind.

Villa, however, were still in the game and the introduction of Jack Grealish gave them some fresh impetus. Showing plenty of confidence, the teenager curled a shot, from just outside the area, narrowly wide and was prepared to run at the Sunderland defence.

One of those raids down the left led to a corner that Grealish took and Ron Vlaar met with a glancing header, forcing Pantilimon into a save at his near post. Then came that Gómez effort against the upright and Bacuna’s late attempt.