Aston Villa 3-2 Everton match report Saturday 2nd May 2015

Christian Benteke netted a brace to earn Aston Villa three vital points in the race for Premier League survival.

The Belgian scored his 11^th goal in nine matches to ensure that his team were one step closer to safety with other teams around them also picking up points. Tom Cleverly netted his second goal in as many matches to make sure the points were safe despite a late Toffees’ comeback.

With Leicester City continuing their survival surge with a win against Newcastle, the Villa players knew they had to produce a top level performance and Tim Sherwood sent his troops out ready to battle from the off.

After a flying start Villa grabbed the opener with 10 minutes gone when Fabien Delph curled in a pinpoint cross from the left which Benteke headed powerfully into the corner leaving Tim Howard rooted to the spot. Everton offered very little in reply with Shay Given back in the Villa goal having an easy afternoon.

On the stroke of half time Villa doubled their lead when a Jack Grealish corner from the left was flicked on at the near post by Ron Vlaar and Benteke was there unmarked at the far post to stab home.

The Toffees’ who despite having nothing to play for in the league at this stage of the season, came out in the second half with a much more positive attitude and in the second minute, Benteke’s fellow countryman Romelu Lukaku went on a surging run which needed the fingertips of Given to tip his 20 yard effort round the post. With 59 minutes on the clock Everton finally got back in the game when a scramble in the Villa box ended with Vlaar bundling over Steven Naismith and Lukaku coolly stroked from the penalty spot.

The goal spurred Roberto Martinez’ men on but any hopes of an equaliser were quickly stubbed out in the 64^th minute when a defence splitting pass by Leandro Bacuna was latched upon by Tom Cleverly who slotted into the near post from the right hand side of the area.

With the game moving into injury time, Phil Jagielka headed home a sloppy consolation goal despite a blatant foul on Given by Seamus Coleman but Villa held out for the win.

After the game, a happy Villa boss Tim Sherwood was full of praise for his players particularly Man of the Match Fabien Delph. ‘To me he is the best midfield player in the country at the moment. I wouldn’t swap him for anyone,’ he said.

With Leicester and Sunderland picking up important wins, Sherwood was keen to point out that the work to stay in the Premier League was far from over.

'It’s a freak season. Who saw Leicester winning five out of six? If we win the games available to us we will be fine but I think we need to win all three. If we don’t do our job we deserve to go down.’

Everton manager Roberto Martinez said he was disappointed after a ‘fantastic’ result last weekend against Manchester United. ‘I did feel in the first half we were second best in everything we did. Aston Villa were the best side in the first half. We were the better side in the second half but we couldn’t get through the problem of giving away a two goal lead. On the basis of our second half performance we deserved something better.’

 

West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Liverpool match report Saturday 26th April 2015

Steven Gerrard’s 500^th Premier League appearance was the only highlight in a dour draw which all but ended Liverpool’s chances of a Champions League spot but lifted West Bromwich Albion a point closer to safety.

The England legend was given a huge ovation from both sets of fans as he reached the magnificent mark and came close to breaking the deadlock in the 27^th minute but his 20 yard free kick  curled just wide of the post.

Then a goalmouth scramble resulted in a double save from ‘keeper Boaz Myhill to deny first Phillipe Coutinho and then Jordan Henderson.

Apart from that, the chances were few in a first half which was poor as both sides seemed to run out of ideas as soon as they got close to their opponent’s penalty area.

The second half was more lively as both teams decided to be a little more adventurous in search of a season-boosting three points.  James Morrison came closest for the Baggies’ when his header from a Callum McManaman cross was cleared off the line by Dejan Lovren. The away team also had chances to win the game. Jordan Ibe rattled the crossbar and Lovren himself couldn’t divert a 93^rd minute header goalwards.

Neither team could take advantage and as a result they were forced to share the spoils in what was poor fayre for the sell-out crowd packed into the Hawthorns.

After the game Liverpool boss Brendan Rogers lamented on the lack of goals this season after Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge scored 52 goals between them last season.

“You take 52 goals from a team and it certainly doesn’t help,” he said. “But the players showed terrific quality. It was a good response but we couldn’t quite make the breakthrough.

“As a team the players are giving everything but in the final third we couldn’t make that final pass that made the difference.”

Baggies boss Tony Pulis was full of praise for his team’s hard work in holding on for a vital point in the fight to stay in the Premier League.

“We showed some resilience but we had to as Liverpool stepped it up in the second half but we got the result we needed,” he said. “It is a great point for us but we need to keep going. We still need one or two more points.”

West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Leicester City match report Saturday 12th April 2015

Jamie Vardy struck late to keep Leicester’s Premier League survival hopes alive and anchor West Bromwich Albion firmly in the relegation dogfight.

On a day when West Brom paid tribute to scoring legend Jeff Astle, it was striker Vardy’s injury time winner that ensured the Foxes fingertip hold on their Premier League status will continue for a little while longer.

The sell-out signs went up weeks ago after West Brom announced they would use the fixture to launch the Jeff Astle Foundation, aimed at researching the dangers of head injuries to sportsmen and women.

For only the second time, the FA allowed a team to wear a changed kit which saw the Baggies players take to the field in a replica strip to that worn in the 1968 FA Cup Final in which West Brom beat Leicester 1 – 0 thanks to a goal by Astle.

The wonderful occasion in the Spring sunshine was a fitting tribute to the Albion legend who died in 2002 from a degenerative condition caused by continually heading a football.
Unfortunately, the Baggies players of 2015 failed to live up to the glories of the past as they slipped to a second successive home defeat after last week losing 4 -1 to QPR.

Everything looked as if it was going perfectly to the script when on eight minutes Darren Fletcher popped up at the near post to flick in a Chris Brunt corner to score his first in an Albion shirt.
But with 20 minutes gone, Leicester turned party-poopers when a quick free kick on the half way line by Esteban Cambiasso was flicked on into the area by Leoardo Ulloa and David Nugent was there to slot home from 12 yards out.

West Brom restored their lead six minutes later when Craig Gardner’s shot from the penalty spot trickled into the net past Foxes’ goalkeeper Kaspar Scheimechel who argued profusely that Albion defender Craig Dawson was offside but the referee Martin Atkinson gave the goal.
In the second half Leicester boss Nigel Pearson staring relegation in the face, decided to go for broke and switched to three at the back. The decision proved to be a masterstroke.

Attack after attack finally paid off for The Foxes on 80 minutes when West Brom players failed to clear their lines from a corner. Nugent headed back into the box at the far post where Robert Huth rose highest to head the ball into the net. The grandstand finish was on.
With a tough run in against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City as well as Liverpool, West Brom needed three points to ensure their safety while their opponent’s needed the spoils just to have any hope of playing Premier League football next season.

Nigel Pearson sensed his team could snatch the victory and frantically waved them forward. As the gripping game entered extra-time Baggies defender Gareth McCauley was robbed on the halfway line by Jamie Vardy who drove towards the left edge of the box before slipping the ball past Joleon Lescott and powering home past Boaz Myhill to send the 2500 Foxes fans into raptures.
West Brom have it all to do now with just two home games to go while Leicester have a game in hand on their relegation rivals and are only three points from safety. The great escape is well and truly on.

Baggies boss Tony Pulis admitted that with 33 points on the board, his team are far from safe at the lower end of the Premiership table.
“I don’t think we were ever out of the relegation fight. We need the points as I have said all along,” he bemoaned.
“We played well in the first half but the three goals were disappointing. The first goal was lower league stuff!”
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was full of praise for his team but well aware of the task ahead. “The longer we can keep our fate in our own hands the better,” he said. “We can’t get carried away as there is still an awful lot to do. We have to go out in the next game and perform again.”
 

Tim Sherwood previews Aston Villa v QPR

With QPR winning 4 - 1 at West Brom on Saturday and Aston Villa losing 3-1 to Manchester United, the clash between the two relegation-battling sides takes on huge importance in the fight to stay in the Premiership. Villa boss Tim Sherwood gives us his thoughts on 'the most important game of the season for Aston Villa'.

Manchester United 3 - 1 Aston Villa match report Saturday 4th April 2015

 

Ander Herrera netted twice as in-form Manchester United saw off a spirited Aston Villa side to go third in the Premiership.

The Spaniard, who at one point in the season struggled to even get in the United team, showed manager Louis Van Gaal why he deserved his starting spot with two smart finishes each side of Wayne Rooney’s superb touch and finish from just inside the penalty area.

Christian Benteke scored for Villa in the second half to make the game more of a contest but Villa fans’ hope of seeing their side steal a point was dashed in injury time when Herrera scored his second – the first time the former Atletico Bilbao player had hit a brace in his career.

Despite his optimism going into the game, Tim Sherwood’s men offered very little in front of goal while at the other end, the defence stood firm until two minutes before the break when  an injured Alan Hutton allowed Daley Blind room on the left hand side to cross the ball into the area where Herrera finished tidily through a mass of bodies.

United doubled their lead on 79 minutes when substitute Angel Di Maria went down the left and crossed for Rooney who allowed the ball to drop over his shoulder before finishing in the top corner past a helpless Brad Guzan.

The jubilant United fans were silenced a minute later when a miscued corner from the right by Joe Cole found its way to Belgian Benteke who fired straight at David De Gea but the Spanish goalkeeper fumbled the shot into the goal to give the Midlanders an unlikely lifeline back into the game.

Any hopes of a comeback were crushed in stoppage time when Herrera slotted the ball home with a conservative finish from the edge of the area.  

After the match United manager Van Gaal said he was very pleased with the fifth Premiership win in a row which keeps his side firmly in the Champions League positions with games against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea to come.

“It is now a rat race and it will be fantastic to be there next week against City where we have to get three points,” he said.

Villa boss Sherwood said he felt his team were always in the game until the crucial third United goal.

“The third goal killed us but it was encouraging. The players gave me everything and left nothing on the pitch but Manchester were too good for us,” he said.

The win means United go above rivals Manchester City and piles even more pressure on Aston Villa for their crunch match on Tuesday night against fellow strugglers QPR.

“It’s a massive game for us. They got a win but we’re hoping to have six points between us and them at the end of the match,” added Sherwood.

Aston Villa 0-1 Swansea City match report Saturday 21st March 2015

Bafetimbi Gomis hit home a late goal to end Aston Villa's recent run of good form.

After having two earlier efforts thwarted, the Frenchman fired home from 10 yards out with three minutes left to earn a win which moves the Swans into eighth in the Premier League.

His manager Garry Monk was full of praise for Gomis post match saying: “From his last performance there is no stopping him. He persevered and kept pushing and got his goal. It’s crucial for any player, that perseverance to keep going.”

As for Aston Villa, it was back down to earth with a bump. After successive wins against rivals West Brom, and hitting four past Sunderland last week, the Clarets had a reality check against an organised and well drilled Swansea team and remain three points above the relegation zone. Boss Tim Sherwood was disappointed to see his side lose late in a game for the second time in recent weeks. He said: “It was disappointing to lose in the Stoke game and it happened again today. I think we deserved a point. I thought in the second period we were more likely to score.”

After the recent run of good form, Villa Park was almost full of expectant fans but they left disappointed after Villa failed to break through a well organised Swansea midfield and back four marshalled by Ashley Williams and Frederico Fernandez. It took until the 31st minute for a Villa  player to even register a shot on target with England international Fabian Delph's left wing shot saved easily by Lukas Fabianski in the Swansea goal.

At the other end of the pitch, Gomis spurned two opportunities in the first half, thwarted by ‘keeper Brad Guzan while Villa defender Ciaran Clark blocked a goal-bound shot from Swans' winger Wayne Routledge.

The second half followed the same path as the first with Swansea’s neat passing game helping Garry Monk's side to dominate possession for large parts of the game but they couldn’t breach the Villa back four.  

With 63 minutes gone, Monk threw on Jefferson Montero and the injection of pace was the difference between the two teams. On 87 minutes. Wayne Routledge fed the ball down the left and Montero played an inch perfect first time ball into the area where Gomis got in front of Ciaran Clark and fired home.

Villa fans packed into in to the Holte End thought their team had equalised a minute later when Fabien Delph surged forward down the left and hit a superb pass to the right hand side of the Swansea goal where former Swans player Scott Sinclair looked odds-on to score but his powerful shot flew inches over. 

Villa boss Sherwood admitted his team were still in the relegation dogfight but welcomed the two week international break as a chance to get his injured players back fit.

"Every point is vital and we have to pick up as many as we can to make ourselves safe," he said.

West Bromwich Albion1-0 Stoke City match report Saturday 14th March 2015

Tony Pulis was full of praise for his old club Stoke City but it was he who had the last laugh in the Midlands Derby.

His West Brom team earned a gritty 1-0 defeat over a below par Potters team thanks to a 20^th minute header by Baggies striker Brown Ideye. Post match he said: “I had a great 10 years at Stoke, it was a wonderful journey but today it was about West Bromwich Albion and we played really well.”

After back to back defeats to local rivals Aston Villa, the Baggies needed three points to get back on track but rarely beat Stoke, who won the last five meetings at The Hawthorns.

The game lacked imagination for much of the 90 minutes. The flicker of inspiration came with 20 minutes on the clock. A cross from the right hand side by Craig Gardner was headed in by Ideye, on target for the fourth time this season.

Arguably the biggest talking point of the first half was Saido Berahino’s goal which was disallowed. A through ball by James Morrison took a deflection off a Stoke defender and found its way to Berahino in an offside position. However the ball was spilled back into play by Stoke ‘keeper Asmir Begovic straight into the path of Berahino who rolled the ball into an empty net. The referee’s assistant ruled the goal out sparking furious protests from Tony Pulis and head scratching from thousands in the ground. “They make the rules up as they go along,” was the Baggies boss’s view after the game.

Sadly even a flare let off by the away fans couldn’t light up an otherwise dull first half and the second half did not offer much more with James Morrison coming closest for West Brom with a fierce volley which was tipped over by Begovic.

With 10 minutes left, goalscorer Ideye took a knock to the knee and with Albion so limited in the striking department, centre back Jonas Olsson was thrown on to fill the void, adding a touch of humour in the process.

Despite this Albion hung on to earn a victory which takes them 11 points clear of the relegation zone.

As for the Potters, their three game winning streak came to an end with manager Mark Hughes making no bones about the poor performance. “We didn’t play particularly well today,” said the Welshman. “We spoke at length about not conceding the first goal; unfortunately that’s what happened. In the first half we didn’t ask any questions of West Brom... in the end they were able to defend quite comfortably.”