Jack Grealish: Football weird with no support

Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with the Blades was Villa’s first competitive fixture for 100 days and earned Dean Smith’s team a point in their battle against relegation.

But with supporters forced to stay away due to the coronavirus pandemic, Grealish admitted it was hard for players to adopt the same mindset as for a normal top flight fixture.

He said: “People said it would be different once we got out there because you would know it is on TV and there are millions watching.

“But it’s weird. You do feel it is like a game behind closed doors, probably like a non-competitive game.

“You try not to think like that because it is a competitive game and you are fighting for points.

“But it is hard, if I am honest. All we can do now is give our all to the end of the season and try to get results.”

Villa, who remain in the relegation zone, next host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. Though there were no goals, Wednesday’s match will be remembered for a breakdown of goalline technology, which failed to register Villa keeper Orjan Nyland carrying the ball over his own line.

Grealish said: “I didn’t have a scooby what was going on. The ball got cleared and we got a free-kick down the other end.

“All their players were saying it was a goal and I saying: ‘Well it obviously wasn’t because the watch would have gone off’.

“It wasn’t until we got into the changing room one of the analysts told us it had gone in by a fair bit.

“I was delighted it wasn’t given but you can understand their disappointment and we would have been exactly the same had it happened to us.”

“We were a bit gutted not to come away with three points, if I am honest. I know there was controversy but other than that I don’t think they had too many chances, whereas we had quite a few chances.”