Tom Cleverly all but ensured that Aston Villa will be
playing Premier League football next season after his finish was enough to see
off a blunt West Ham United.
The man on loan from Manchester United poked in from three
yards to give his team the three points that theoretically means
they will avoid relegation.
His manager Tim Sherwood was full of praise for the 25 year
old, saying, “He still shows a lot of energy and determination and leaves
nothing on the field. I'd loved to have played with him because I know when he
gets the ball he creates chances.”
Cleverly failed to hit the net in 37 matches before scoring three
goals in his previous three games. Sherwood added: “I said to him you don’t
score goals unless you get in the box. He just needed to add goals to his
game.”
With Cleverly becoming a free agent in the summer, Sherwood
was asked about his interest in signing him. “We’d like to keep him. I said to
him if you don’t sign he’s not playing in the final,” he joked.
It was a must win game for the Villans. With fellow
strugglers Sunderland winning earlier in the day it was vital Sherwood's men didn’t get
sucked further into the relegation rat race and they set out with a point to
prove. With 12 minutes on the clock, Cleverly had the
game’s first meaningful effort when his shot from the edge of the area was
easily saved by Hammers' goalkeeper Adrian.
The FA Cup finalists got the lead they deserved on half an
hour. Man of the match Jack Grealish jinked his way to the
byline on the left hand side before squeezing the ball into the box where
Cleverly poked home.
The Hammers' felt aggrieved not to have been awarded a
penalty in the 38th minute. A corner from the left was whipped in
and Leandro Bacuna heaved down Enner Valenica but referee Lee Mason adjudged
that West Ham captain Kevin Nolan had fouled Villa ‘keeper Shay Given.
At half time West Ham boss Sam Allardyce threw on Alex Song and Nene to
try and earn something from the game. They enjoyed more possession in the second
half but could only muster an offside goal as their best effort. Villa
valiantly held out and gave themselves breathing space above the relegation zone
with two matches to go.
After the game Allardyce lamented his team's lack of goals. "Our cutting edge has been missing for weeks now. It doesn't matter how many chances we create, we are not scoring them," he said.
After the game Allardyce lamented his team's lack of goals. "Our cutting edge has been missing for weeks now. It doesn't matter how many chances we create, we are not scoring them," he said.
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