*Michael Hefele’s bizarre late equaliser denied Aston Villa a second straight win and maintained Huddersfield Town’s unbeaten start to the league season.*

Hefele chased down Pierluigi Gollini’s clearance and the ball bounced off his back straight into the empty Villa net.

The hosts had been on course to win after Ross McCormack headed in his first Villa goal before half-time.

Rudy Gestede had chances to extend the lead, before Nahki Wells struck the post as Huddersfield rallied late on.

When McCormack headed in Jack Grealish’s skimmed cross before half-time, Villa were good value for their lead on a emotional night for the club following the death of former player Dalian Atkinson.

Ashley Westwood had fired over from a corner early on, after Jordan Ayew’s decent effort was saved.

Gestede should have made it 2-0 but Huddersfield more than matched the hosts after the break and Elias Kachunga almost scored from an overhead kick, before a combination of Hefele’s persistence and hesitant Villa defending saw the German level in unusual circumstances.

The result left Huddersfield - who won at Newcastle on Saturday - level on points with leaders Brighton and Norwich in third, three points ahead of Villa.

*Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo:*

“[Pierluigi Gollini] is obviously disappointed but he is a young keeper who will have to learn from this. You learn from your mistakes, they are experiences, but he is a very strong character as well.

“He wanted to kick it away and kicked it onto the opposition. There’s plenty of space, (James) Chester blocked the Huddersfield player off nicely so there was plenty of space. When the keeper make a mistake it’s usually a goal but he made some great saves as well.

“But I thought we played a magnificent first half with a lot of intensity and energy on the pitch. We had some good opportunities to score the second goal and kill the game off a little bit. It’s something we need to improve to be able to win games.”
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*BBC Sport*
Tuesday, 16 August 2016

*Aston Villa fans pay tribute to Dalian Atkinson after Taser death*

Aston Villa fans have paid tribute to the club’s former striker Dalian Atkinson, who died after being shot with a Taser by police.

Supporters held a minute’s applause 10 minutes into the club’s Championship game against Huddersfield Town.

Fans at Villa Park also raised umbrellas around the ground in a tribute inspired by a famous celebration when Atkinson netted a memorable goal against Wimbledon.

His death is being investigated.

The Taser was used on the 48-year-old at his father’s house in Trench, Telford, in the early hours of Monday.

He went into cardiac arrest on his way to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Home fans gathered before the match to honour their former forward, who famously scored the opener in the 1994 League Cup final win over Manchester United.

Supporters chanted his name in the early stages of the game, with the club also paying tribute by before the match.

Villa fans had planned to bring their own umbrellas in reference to Atkinson’s famous celebration, but the club said health and safety prevented them from allowing such a tribute.

Instead designated members of the club’s fan squad raised umbrellas in the corner of the pitch.

Many of Atkinson’s former team-mates and clubs he played for have paid tribute to the ex-striker, described by former manager at Villa and Sheffield Wednesday Ron Atkinson as popular in the dressing room with “terrific ability”.