Fifteen minutes later, the second half officially kicked off.
Aston Villa immediately tried to seize the initiative since Dean Smith's halftime team talk had clearly fired them up!
Abraham tapped the ball back to Theodore on the right side of midfield, then surged toward the Norwich penalty area.
However, Theodore didn't make an immediate forward pass. Instead, he cycled the ball safely back to Tyrone Mings in defense.
The reason was simple: there were just too many yellow shirts!
The moment Theodore received the ball, a swarm of Norwich players converged on him—McLean, Vrancic, and Stiepermann.
He had no time to pick out Abraham and was forced to play it safe.
"Push up! All of you, push up! Don't give them a second to breathe!"
On the Norwich touchline, Daniel Farke was roaring at his players, demanding they maintain the high press.
With virtually no feeling-out period, both teams immediately plunged back into a high-intensity, physical battle.
48th minute.
Finding no passing lanes available and facing relentless pressure from the Norwich forwards, Mings hoofed a long, desperate clearance up the pitch.
Seconds later, the ball dropped toward the edge of the Norwich penalty area.
Villa's towering center-forward, Abraham, leaped simultaneously with Christoph Zimmermann to contest the aerial duel.
In this physical clash, Abraham emerged as the clear victor.
Zimmermann proved no match for the striker's leap.
Abraham won the header and skillfully knocked the ball back into the path of John McGinn, who was making a late run through the center.
To McGinn's delight, he found himself completely unmarked on the edge of the box.
Seizing the golden opportunity, the Scottish midfielder wasted no time, unleashing a thunderous first-time volley with his favored left foot.
Bang!
The ball rocketed through the air, dipping viciously toward the bottom corner of the Norwich goal.
In the stands, the Villa fans rose to their feet, a collective gasp hanging thick in the air.
But on the goal line, Tim Krul displayed his terrifying reflexes.
The Dutch veteran dove low to his left at lightning speed, extending a strong right hand to miraculously parry the ball away just as it seemed destined for the bottom corner.
"Oh, what a save!" Drury cried out. "Tim Krul denies McGinn with a world-class stop! He got down in the blink of an eye."
"The score remains 2-2," Beglin noted, shaking his head. "McGinn hit that as sweet as you like, but Krul's reaction speed was just phenomenal. There's nothing you can do about that; it's just individual brilliance."
Though the shot didn't breach the net, the near-miss ignited the crowd.
Over 40,000 Villa supporters erupted into a frenzied, deafening rendition of "Holte Enders in the Sky," desperately trying to suck the ball into the net and galvanize their team for the final push!
...
Soon, in the 55th minute, Aston Villa's attack surged forward once more.
On the left flank, Jack Grealish received a through ball from his full-back and immediately looked to cut inside.
He had the flair to pull this off.
Facing the Norwich defense, Grealish feinted with his left foot before shifting his weight and slicing inward on his right.
The sudden change of pace caught Norwich full-back Max Aarons off guard.
His only recourse was a cynical foul.
Grabbing a fistful of Grealish's jersey from behind, Aarons dragged the Villa captain to the turf.
"Beeeeeeeeeepppp"
Referee Peter Bankes blew his whistle without hesitation.
Grealish's tricky run had earned Aston Villa a dangerous free-kick.
It was positioned on the left edge of the penalty area, about 30 yards out—prime territory.
Over the ball, Grealish, Theodore Bjorn, and John McGinn huddled together, covering their mouths as they plotted the set-piece.
After a brief whisper, Theodore and McGinn peeled away into the box, leaving Grealish alone to take it.
The whistle blew.
Grealish began his run-up and struck it sweetly.
His right foot curled the ball into a beautiful, dipping arc that cleared the Norwich wall and plunged toward the top corner. It was a high-quality effort.
But Tim Krul had other ideas.
On the goal line, the Dutch goalkeeper transformed into a brick wall, launching himself into the air and palming the ball away with a strong right hand.
"Oh, what a save from Tim Krul," Peter Drury's voice echoed across the Sky Sports broadcast. "He denies Grealish with a magnificent stop. Since the start of this second half, Krul has produced two world-class saves to keep Norwich in this. He is looking impassable today. McGinn's long-range drive and now Grealish's bending free-kick have both been thwarted by the Dutchman."
On the Twitter feed, the Villa faithful shared their growing frustration.
[This Krul is playing out of his mind today.]
[Why does he have to turn into prime Buffon against us?]
[If this continues, the lads are going to lose their confidence to even shoot.]
[Are we really going to be denied the title by a goalkeeper?]
[If we don't score soon, we are going to regret these missed chances.]
Down in the technical area, Dean Smith paced anxiously.
Time was ticking away, and Aston Villa needed to find a breakthrough. But against a goalkeeper playing out of his skin, Smith worried his attackers were second-guessing themselves.
Left with no other option, the manager stood at the edge of his box, clapping his hands and shouting encouragement, urging his men to keep their heads up and play with bravery.
In the 59th minute, following Smith's instructions, both of Aston Villa's full-backs pushed high into the attacking third.
Villa was committing bodies forward in an all-out offensive.
The ball found its way to the right flank, right to the feet of Theodore Bjorn. By now, everyone in the stadium knew the teenager was Norwich's primary defensive target.
As soon as he touched the ball, two yellow shirts swarmed him: defensive midfielder Kenny McLean and full-back Jamal Lewis.
The Norwich duo charged at Theodore with fierce intensity, looking to shut him down.
But Theodore remained calm.
He had anticipated the trap and already mapped out his exit. With a subtle, disguised flick of his left foot, he slipped the ball down the line to Alan Hutton, the overlapping full-back.
By drawing the attention of two defenders, Theodore had left Hutton with acres of space.
Seizing the moment, Hutton didn't hesitate.
He whipped a first-time cross into the danger zone!
The ball sailed toward the penalty spot, where Tammy Abraham was locked in a physical wrestling match with two Norwich center-backs.
Under the intense double-team, the striker couldn't win the aerial duel.
Ben Godfrey rose highest to head the cross clear.
In midfield, Mario Vrancic reacted quickest to gather the loose ball. Suddenly, the pitch opened up for a Norwich counterattack.
The Bosnian midfielder, known for his vision, looked up and sprayed a raking pass forward.
Two seconds later, the ball dropped into the path of Emiliano Buendía. The Norwich winger brought it under his spell, ready to exploit the vast space left behind on the flank.
In a flash, Buendía executed a sharp turn and drove straight into the Aston Villa penalty area.
With both Villa full-backs caught high up the pitch, the home side's defense was dangerously exposed.
Only Tyrone Mings and Tommy Elphick remained to hold the fort.
Faced with this golden opportunity, Buendía dropped his shoulder and fired a low shot toward the far corner.
However, the strike lacked conviction.
Instead of curling outward toward the post, the ball drifted weakly toward the center of the goal.
Jed Steer watched it all the way and gathered it comfortably into his chest.
Without missing a beat, Steer sprang to his feet and launched a booming kick upfield.
The ball sailed through the Birmingham sky, dropping perfectly into the path of Grealish on the left wing.
For the Norwich defense, the Villa captain was a constant menace.
The moment Grealish controlled the ball, a yellow shirt rushed out to confront him. Instead of taking his man on, Grealish opted for a quick pass, laying it off to Theodore in the center of the pitch.
Rather than standing still to admire the play, Grealish immediately spun and made a hard, driving run straight into the Norwich penalty area.
At the top of the box, Theodore received the ball, instantly drawing the attention of multiple scrambling defenders.
Surrounded and lacking any clear shooting angle, the teenager kept his head up.
In his peripheral vision, he spotted Grealish's darting run.
Without a second thought, Theodore scooped a delicate, lofted pass over the top of the Norwich backline!
The execution was flawless.
The ball floated over the defensive wall and dropped precisely into the path of Grealish's stride.
All Grealish needed to do was pull the trigger to test Krul once more.
But just as he cocked his right leg to shoot, Max Aarons came sliding in desperately from behind, taking the man instead of the ball with a reckless challenge.
Beep!
Referee Peter Bankes blew his whistle forcefully, marching forward and pointing straight to the penalty spot.
"PENALTY!" Peter Drury's voice hit a crescendo. "Aston Villa have been awarded a lifeline! A rash challenge from Aarons, and Dean Smith's men have a golden chance from twelve yards."