Manchester United 4-1 Aston Villa match report Saturday 29th March 2014

Manchester United players eased the pressure on manager David Moyes with a comfortable 4-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

During the match a banner reading "Wrong one, Moyes out" flew over the skies above the Theatre of Dreams. However the under-fire manager seized the initiative by entering the field before the teams came out and applauded the continuing support of his home fans. In response, they repaid the favour by producing a standing ovation.

Despite all the mutual back-slapping, it was the visitors who took the lead after 12 minutes. Gabby Agbonlahor was brought down on the left hand edge of the penalty area by Phil Jones and up stepped Ashley Westwood to curl the ball over the wall and past keeper David De Gea from 20 yards.

The home team responded on 19 minutes when Shinji Kagawa cut in from the left and put in a perfect cross onto the head of an unmarked Wayne Rooney who glanced the ball past keeper Brad Guzan to level the game.

The Red Devils scored again on the stroke of half time. A killer through ball by Kagawa from the right found its way to Juan Mata on the left hand side of the penalty area. As the Spaniard cut back, he was brought down by Villa defender Leandro Bacuna and referee Martin Atkinson pointed straight to the spot. Rooney fired the resulting penalty past Guzan for his second of the match to start the turn around.

Villa had two good chances early in the second half which both fell to striker Christian Benteke. The first chance looked certain to be the equaliser on 49 minutes but the Belgian striker missed the ball when going to shoot after being played in by a chipped through ball to the far post by Ashley Westwood. Four minutes later Benteke was there again to meet a Marc Albrighton cross from the right hand side but headed over.

In top-level football, teams must take their chances and Villa's failure to do so was punished with 57 minutes gone. A header over the Villa defence from Alexander Buttner pinged around in the box where Mata reacted quickest to score his first goal for the club from 12 yards out.

Rooney could have had a hat trick but his effort from the left hand side of the box was well saved by Guzan.

The comeback was complete on 90 minutes when some good work on the left hand side by substitute Adnan Janujaz produced a cross which was met by his fellow substitute Javier Hernandez who poked the ball home from three yards out.

It was a dominant performance from the Champions who had to respond to their midweek derby loss to Manchester City.

After the game Villa manager said; "When you come to places like this, you have to take your chances when you get them."

After the comfortable victory David Moyes said that his team were "well prepared" for their crucial Champions League last 16 match against Bayern Munich.

Aston Villa 1-4 Stoke City match report Sunday 23rd March 2014

Stoke City produced a dominant display to easily see off a poor Aston Villa side 4-1 at Villa Park.

 Goals from Peter Crouch, Peter Odemwingie, Steven N'Zonzi and Geoff Cameron cancelled out an opener from Villa’s Christian Benteke to help Mark Hughes’ men into the top half of the Premier League table and guarantee their safety.

 A week after defeating Premier League leaders Chelsea, Villa were brought back down to earth with big bump as the Potters completely controlled three-quarters of the game.

Villa started brightest and scored with barely five minutes on the clock. Returning left back Ryan Bertrand picked the ball up on the left hand side and played it down the line into the path of last week's hero Fabian Delph. The young Englishman used his agility to shake off his marker and cut the ball back to the penalty spot where striker Christian Benteke took one touch with his right foot and smashed it home.

Villa were completely in control but injuries to Karim El Ahmadi and Andreas Weimman turned the match and on 22 minutes Stoke equalised. A typical long ball was headed down by Crouch into the path of Odemwingie and the former Baggies man chested the ball down and fired the ball past keeper Brad Guzan.

Villa were shell-shocked and four minutes later some good football in the centre circle found Marko Arnautovic on the left hand side. The Austrian played a clever back heeled pass down the line into the path of over-lapping Erik Pieters and the full back cut the ball back from the byline into the path of Crouch who opened up his body and finished smartly with his right foot.

 The Potters’ first half turnaround was complete on 42 minutes when Arnautovic again played a cross from the left which took a deflection off defender Nathan Baker into the path of N'Zonzi who finished coolly from the edge of the box.

Villa created very little in the second half and their best chance was a clear shout for a penalty after Benteke was bundled over in the box by Ryan Shawcross. Referee Mark Clattenburg waved away the decision and instead booked Benteke for his reaction to the decision.

Stoke killed off the game in the 90th minute when the dazzling Arnautovic skipped past Leandro Bacuna on the left hand corner of the penalty area, cut the ball back to the penalty spot where full back Cameron was waiting and casually slotted the ball home to cap off a solid performance.

After the game Paul Lambert admitted his side "... were second best" to their opponents and did not deserve to get anything from the game.

 Stoke manager Mark Hughes praised a solid performance from his team despite the fact he barely had enough numbers to fill his bench due to injuries.

 

Aston Villa 1-0 Chelsea match report Saturday 15th March 2014

Jose Mourinho and two of his players saw red as Chelsea’s title dreams were dealt a severe blow thanks 

to a stunning goal from Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph.

The Blues’ boss was sent to the dressing room by referee Chris Foy for going onto the Villa Park pitch to

protest against the dismissal of midfielder Ramirez for stamping on Villa’s Karim El Ahmadi in time added

on at the end of a controversial clash.

After the game Mourinho refused to comment saying ‘I will get myself in trouble if I say anything and I do

not want to get into disrepute’.

However, he did not hide his anger at referee Foy who earlier in the game had sent off Chelsea’s Willian 

for what seemed like a harsh second yellow card. 

“I was not the only one on the pitch,” said Mourinho. “Paul Lambert

and his staff were also on the there along with Agbonlahor who was not in the game.” (The Villa No.11 had

been substituted earlier).

Villa, buoyed by a 4-1 win against Norwich were full of confidence from the kick-off and in no mood to roll

over and let the Premier League leaders have an easy day.

In an electric atmosphere, both teams attacked incessantly but despite Chelsea’s £multi-million players,

they struggled to break down a resolute Villa back four and midfield which never stopped running.

On 42 minutes Chelsea fans thought their team had taken the lead when Nemanja Matic tucked the ball in

at the far post, only for referee Foy to rule the goal out for hand ball.

Both teams came out for the second half determined to get a victory but the game changed in the 68th 

minute when Delph broke away on the left of midfield and was pulled back by Willian. Referee Foy in-

stantly reached for a second yellow followed by a red card which replays showed was harsh.

The Villa players and fans smelled the scent of victory and piled on the pressure. In the 82nd minute 

man-of-the-match Delph picked up the ball in the Chelsea half and dodged one tackle before playing it

out to substitute Marc Albrighton on the left of the area. The flying winger sent in a low cross and with

his back to goal Delph cleverly flicked the ball with his heel past a despairing Petr Cech and into the

corner of the net in front of the ecstatic home fans packed into the Holte End.

Chelsea tried desperately to get back into the game but failed to breach the rock-solid claret and blue

line. Then as the game ticked into injury time Ramirez broke clear on the left but over-ran the Ball and

as El Ahmadi made the tackle, the Chelsea midfielder blatantly stamped on his leg right in front of the 

dugouts.

Players and managers from both teams flew onto the pitch to surround the referee who reached for his

red card and as Ramirez walked slowly towards the tunnel Foy rebuked Mourinho’s protests and sent

the Chelsea boss in the same direction.

After the match Villa boss Paul Lambert refused to discuss the sendings off or the referee’s performance,

preferring to praise the effort of his team.

“I thought we were outstanding today and thoroughly deserved the win,” he said.

Meanwhile, Special One Mourinho refused to comment on a suggestion that he and captain John Terry 

allegedly banged on the door of the officials demanding answers. Whatever the case, the colourful

Chelsea boss is bound to be punished once the FA have a chance to examine the evidence.

West Bromwich Albion 0-3 Manchester United match report Saturday 8th March 2014

Manchester United produced a dominant display to overturn a lacklustre West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on a sunny afternoon at The Hawthorns.

Goals from Phil Jones, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck were enough to keep alive the Red Devil’s slim hopes of a top four finish and slip The Baggies ever closer to the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

Fans of both teams may have been hoping for a repeat of the epic 5-5 contest the last time these teams met on this ground in May, but the first half hour was a muted midfield battle with goalkeepers having little to do.

Under pressure West Brom manager Pepe Mel set his team up to snuff out any possible threat from United and all went well until the 34^th minute when his defenders completely switched off and allowed Phil Jones to power the ball into the net from an in-swinging free kick from the right by Robin Van Persie.

Minutes later, the game could easily have got worse for West Brom when Baggies keeper Ben Foster appeared to handle the ball just outside the box but luckily referee Jonathan Moss didn't spot it.

Just before half time, the home team were forced into a change taking off the injured Claudio Yacob for James Morrison which seemed to benefit them as they created half-chances either side of the half time whistle. The best falling to Zoltan Geta who played a good one two on the edge of the area with Victor Anichebe but his shot with his weaker left foot was easily saved by David De Gea.

In the second half David Moyes’ men doubled their lead on 65 minutes following some good link up play between Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Rafael which saw the United righ

 
t-back float in a perfect cross which Rooney met unchallenged at the far post to head home and pretty much put the game beyond West Brom.

Dutch striker Van Persie was involved in the in the game’s one moment of controversy when he dived in on Baggies defender Steven Reid while on a yellow card. The home fans screamed for a red card but the referee rightly warned Van Persie for the final time, a decision which replays showed was correct.

Minutes later Van Persie was replaced by Danny Welbeck and with 83 minutes gone the substitute made it three. Rooney picked up the ball in the middle of the field, drove at the West Brom defence and slipped in Welbeck  on the left and the Englishman clinically curled the ball around the advancing Foster to end the match.

After the game Manchester United manager David Moyes praised the performances of under fire England defender Chris Smalling as well as Rooney and Marouane Fellaini while Baggies boss Pepe Mel vowed to continue the fight for survival with four important games against fellow strugglers Swansea, Hull, Cardiff and Norwich taking on increasing significance.

Aston Villa 4-1 Norwich City match report Sunday 2nd March 2014

Aston Villa stunned Norwich City with a four goal turn around to win this crucial relegation battle at a rain-soaked Villa Park. 

After going behind with three minutes gone, The Villa players responded with four goals in 16 minutes; the pick of the bunch being a stunning overhead kick by Belgian striker Christian Benteke.

Villa boss Paul Lambert faced his old team once again in a crucial game at the bottom end of the table and must have thought the worst when Wes Hoolahan scored a tap in after just three minutes when he connected with a low cross from the right by striker Gary Hooper.

The Canaries took full control of the game and looked likely to add to the total as Villa struggled to string passes together. But with 25 minutes gone, and the boos from Villa fans ringing in the players' ears, captain Ron Vlaar hit a long ball down the field onto the chest of Benteke. With his back to goal, the striker scored a stunning overhead kick to put the home team back into the match.

He then struck again two minutes later. A corner from Ashley Westwood from the right hand side was nodded in by Benteke to mark a remarkable comeback which stunned Norwich who had completely dominated to that point.

Minutes later the Canaries almost got on level terms when goalscorer Hoolahan played a one two on the edge of the Villa penalty box with Hooper. The Irishman strode into the box but his shot was saved by keeper Brad Guzan and his follow up header was blocked by Fabian Delph as it crept in at the near post.

Football has a habit of punishing missed opportunities and Villa responded with a classic counter attacking goal. Gabriel Agbonlahor picked the ball up in the centre circle and drove into the opposing half leaving three Norwich defenders in his wake  with a powerful burst of pace. He played the ball right to team-mate Andreas Weimann who in turn played in the overlapping Leandro Bacuna on the right hand side of the penalty area. He cut inside and with his left foot curled the ball  into the right hand bottom corner.

The demolition was completed on 41 minutes when Ashley Westwood picked the ball up on the left hand side and played a beautiful through ball down the line into the corner, Fabian Delph played a killer ball across the six yard line where, under pressure Norwich defender Sebastian Bassong poked the ball into his own net.

The game was over as a contest by the half-time break and Norwich could only muster a few half chances in the second half but that 16 minute spell knocked the wind out of the Canary's sails.

After the game Norwich manager Chris Hughton said his team simply weren't good enough despite the dominant start. With rumours lingering  around his job as Norwich boss, he responded with "it's not something I think about. We've just got to prepare for the next game."

Villa boss Paul Lambert said he was delighted with a "fantastic result" and praised his front three Weimann, Agbonlahor and in particular Benteke.

"For a half an hour  I thought we were blistering and that time was probably as good as we've been all season. With those front three we certainly have a threat," he said.