Aston Villa finally break the silence
Article by Luke Heyes
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Aston Villa emphatically lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a critical victory over rivals West Brom on Tuesday Evening. It was a real gutsy, nail-biting performance that was decided in stoppage time when Christian Benteke calmly slotted his penalty into the right of the goal after the lumbering Ben Foster had brought down Matt Lowton. Gabby Agbonlahor had given Villa a deserved first- half lead but after failing to capitalise on their early goal, Villa were punished when Saido Berahino equalized in the second half with a close-range header. It was certainly an overwrought finale but all credit to Villa, they played to the whistle and were rewarded late on.
Tim Sherwood has divided opinion amongst Villa fans but after last nights result; it’s difficult not to accept that he might just be having the desired effect. Some feared that his ‘high-pressure’ approach would simply add to the current fragilities. Players have been suffocating in a long period of unproductivity; there has been a clear lack of progress however there have been vibrant improvements since his first match in charge against Stoke. Villa were unlucky to loose at Newcastle last week and certainly didn’t look like relegation material. Sherwood now has his first Villa victory in the bag; one of the possible six that he feels is necessary to retain the clubs premier league status.
The first-half was a superlative show down. Villa dominated possession and played with a high level of intensity. It was a vivacious display where Sherwood employed the pace of Agbonlahor and the power of Benteke to great effect, the pair coalescing as they took a lead on twenty two minutes. Benteke glanced on keeper Brad Guzan's clearance for Agbonlahor to outpace and muscle by Joleon Lescott and smash a finish under Foster. Agbonlahor thought he had put Villa ahead earlier when Foster mishandled a routine shot, however goal-line technology showed otherwise. Delph hit the post with an angled shot assisted from Charles N Zogbia but Villa went into the dressing room at half-time failing to build on their early lead.
After the break, Villa lacked the tempo that they showed in the first-half. They paid for their mistakes and against the run of play, from a Chris Brunt corner, Lescott managed to head the ball back into a scrambled six yard box where the lurking Berahino was there to head the ball into the centre of the goal. It looked like a draw would be the likely outcome but as is with derbies, one can never quite foresee the conclusions. In the dying minutes of play, Villa were awarded a penalty when Matt Lowton was brought down from Ben Foster whose overall performance was largely ham-fisted. Benteke has not scored for a while but the self-assurance and coolness demonstrated as he slotted the ball neatly into the back of the net speaks volumes of Villa’s forgotten giant.
The risk of relegation is still very much alive but Tim Sherwood and the squad look to have what it takes to survive. Aston Villa have finally broken the silence and what are the chances that they could just surprise everybody and claim the double over West Brom on Saturday. I’m sure it will be an exhilarating cup-tie.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
Subscribe to the e-Football Podcast on iTunes (Click Here)
Aston Villa emphatically lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a critical victory over rivals West Brom on Tuesday Evening. It was a real gutsy, nail-biting performance that was decided in stoppage time when Christian Benteke calmly slotted his penalty into the right of the goal after the lumbering Ben Foster had brought down Matt Lowton. Gabby Agbonlahor had given Villa a deserved first- half lead but after failing to capitalise on their early goal, Villa were punished when Saido Berahino equalized in the second half with a close-range header. It was certainly an overwrought finale but all credit to Villa, they played to the whistle and were rewarded late on.
Tim Sherwood has divided opinion amongst Villa fans but after last nights result; it’s difficult not to accept that he might just be having the desired effect. Some feared that his ‘high-pressure’ approach would simply add to the current fragilities. Players have been suffocating in a long period of unproductivity; there has been a clear lack of progress however there have been vibrant improvements since his first match in charge against Stoke. Villa were unlucky to loose at Newcastle last week and certainly didn’t look like relegation material. Sherwood now has his first Villa victory in the bag; one of the possible six that he feels is necessary to retain the clubs premier league status.
The first-half was a superlative show down. Villa dominated possession and played with a high level of intensity. It was a vivacious display where Sherwood employed the pace of Agbonlahor and the power of Benteke to great effect, the pair coalescing as they took a lead on twenty two minutes. Benteke glanced on keeper Brad Guzan's clearance for Agbonlahor to outpace and muscle by Joleon Lescott and smash a finish under Foster. Agbonlahor thought he had put Villa ahead earlier when Foster mishandled a routine shot, however goal-line technology showed otherwise. Delph hit the post with an angled shot assisted from Charles N Zogbia but Villa went into the dressing room at half-time failing to build on their early lead.
After the break, Villa lacked the tempo that they showed in the first-half. They paid for their mistakes and against the run of play, from a Chris Brunt corner, Lescott managed to head the ball back into a scrambled six yard box where the lurking Berahino was there to head the ball into the centre of the goal. It looked like a draw would be the likely outcome but as is with derbies, one can never quite foresee the conclusions. In the dying minutes of play, Villa were awarded a penalty when Matt Lowton was brought down from Ben Foster whose overall performance was largely ham-fisted. Benteke has not scored for a while but the self-assurance and coolness demonstrated as he slotted the ball neatly into the back of the net speaks volumes of Villa’s forgotten giant.
The risk of relegation is still very much alive but Tim Sherwood and the squad look to have what it takes to survive. Aston Villa have finally broken the silence and what are the chances that they could just surprise everybody and claim the double over West Brom on Saturday. I’m sure it will be an exhilarating cup-tie.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
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