Aston Villa 1 – 0 Reading (27/11/2012)

A deserved win for the Midlanders in an anxious match

Reading never looked like taking control but neither did the Claret and Blues; Aston Villa seemed comfortable in midfield but in the final third flooding Reading defenders made them look very ordinary, on the flip side Reading looked dangerous on the break and made their way into Villa’s final third with ease but lacked somebody who was willing to take control of the second phase.

Team balance was a problem for both teams, Roberts constantly pushed the Villa defence back but lacked a partner or midfielder to support him, while Villa’s Agbonlahor and Benteke found their best fortune going it alone.

Reading’s midfield were anonymous as a team, Robson-Kanu did pull the Villa defence around and Leigertwood closed down the dangerous plays with ease but their fragility was exposed while defending set pieces from a dangerous Bannan. Bannan showed glimpses of brilliance but offered a swagger of over confidence which was only quietened when Ireland stepped onto the pitch, fitting then that it was Westwood’s corner from which Benteke headed in the winner, the first right footed corner Villa had tried. This 80^th minute goal was deserved, but looked unlikely.

The link between midfield and attack had been Bannan but he wasted many opportunities to play through the defence and sought to play the more difficult ball when he could, the same could not be said for Reading who on the day lacked any real ball players and struggled to find space.

Reading looked stale in attack but their defence looked dedicated, aided in part by their midfield. They didn’t really look tested on the ground and did a good job at closing the middle or forcing players out wide, unfortunately deep midfielders allowed Villa full backs to push high and their defenders to come up for set pieces. Clarke perhaps had more action in attack than he did defending.

Villa had a paper thin defence for this game and the injury of Stevens was a real blow, fortunately injury prone Baker continued after his knock and Lichaj filled in for Stevens with admirable quality. Lowton was a particular performer on the day and this caused Reading to stick to defensive positions, thus slowing their support, but the lack of experience still showed and players such as Clark, Lowton, Lichaj and Baker will need to remain mentally strong in the next few months.

Reading had real issues connecting up phases of play and squad depth isn’t going to assist them, Pogrebnyak who remained seated would’ve caused Villa problems, though an excellent Guzan would probably disagree, but little more graces their bench. The exciting McLeary had a few minutes but was dealt with easily by the impressive Lowton and this must be a concern for the Royals. Reading need a bit of a miracle before Christmas, as well as Guthrie, but with very difficult games ahead it could be a January transfer window that makes or breaks their season.

The same can be said for Villa, play and players are gelling but points are difficult to come by and wins even rarer; they deserved the 3 points against Reading but only managed it thanks to a LeFondre gift of a miss; something needs to develop and a player capable of taking control of the game and ball needs to be added.

West Ham 1 - 0 Aston Villa - 18/08/2012 - Drab, but not bad.

West Ham 1 - 0 Aston Villa - (18/08/2012)

A match with spurts of quality (not from Villa) fizzled out into drabness with West Ham the happier.

The first 20 minutes gave no clue to the rest of the game, Aston Villa passed well, drew West Ham out and ignored the physical capability of West Ham's outfit.
Yet 4 minutes later West Ham clearly felt Villa's passing game would not take them into the final third and they pushed up accordingly.
Long balls to the effective Cole allowed Nolan to be a nuisance and Villa never worked out how to crack their shape. As soon as Diame found his feet the midfield was closed leaving Villa out of ideas.
Set pieces had West Ham invigorated and on the 40th minute a flick on ending up dropping to Nolan who wasn't wasting his opening day gift.

To be honest there wasn't much to toast from a Villa perspective; they looked stifled and lacked a plan B, they used the long ball a little more in the second half, and big hearts helped them get up the pitch but there was no real consistent working of a plan.
Ireland was involved and look lively, El Ahmadi was insightful but always on the back foot and N'Zogbia spent much of the game allowing West Ham to get back in defence. Changes to the line-up did little to stimulate the Villains, Gardner had a horrible 15 minutes, Bannan tried but had no runners and Weimann, like Bent in the first half had nothing to feed off.
The passing was fine, the attitude was excellent but without wingers, or players who take on their defenders the staleness were evident.
Albrighton and Agbonlahor were real misses, both create space and drag defenders and this should be a thought for the future, perhaps Carruthers future.

West Ham were well drilled, strong on the ball and played decent football, they closed the game and the fans were even treated to a goal line clearance from Nathan Baker when Maiga rounded Given.
Vaz Te was a constant thorn and constantly worked the Villa defence, even Demel felt his position as defender was safe and made the right wing his own.
Whether this ploy will work all season is a question for 37 games time but West Ham start with 3 points and a good blend of characters. Nolan, Noble and Diame certainly make up for any defensive concerns.

James Collins left with a smile on his face, with his opposite numbers pondering the next game; Clark looked nervous and Vlaar over exuberant.
Allardyce probably expected a tougher game, and was surprised to come out with a clean sheet and 3 points, I don't think Lambert will be too concerned, this was always a test and certain tactical changes will take time, perhaps with a signing or two.

A deserved 3 points for West Ham, but as a Villa fan it was great to see the team passing even if these first 5 games might be a hard watch.

Aston Villa 0 - 1 Manchester City (12/02/2012)

With both managers feeling the pressure but only one in fear of backlash the score line may have been a positive for both managers; Aston Villa however failed to deliver any sort of competition for a swaggering Man City who coasted to victory to reclaim top spot in the Premiership.

Manchester City lined up with a decent team littered with players struggling for form or starts and Aston Villa lined up with Heskey on the right wing, Cuellar on the left and 10 men behind the ball, the end result was one of drab defensive football and a midfield battle Aston Villa never participated in.

From the first minute the two game plans were obvious, Aston Villa sat back lumping the ball to Heskey and Bent while Man City calmly plugged away in their defensive exercise.

Until the 88^th minute the match was barely a contest, but at least it became a game in the 76^th with the introduction of Stephen Ireland. Aston Villa were drab, predicable and defensive with no intent on pushing forward as a unit and taking a chance on matching Man City. Man City were fairly drab too but never really looked concerned by the Aston Villa tactics.

Aguero looked lively and shifted the Villa back line every time Man City moved into the final third; his shooting lacked the same class and Johnson who hit the post in the first 10minutes also followed that trend. In truth the game was about a controlled Man City backline including Kolarov and Zabaleta and smart midfield including Barry and Milner who made Petrov look inept and Gardner inexperienced. The Aston Villa midfield were not aided by awful tactics but Barry looked excellent and moved the ball to his teammates with ease in all parts of the pitch. 

When Villa did move forward Barry closed them down well and held a solid shape with De Jong.

Man City had a vast majority of the ball but it was a corner in the 62^nd minute that finally gave their away form the boost it needed. Man City always looked dangerous from corners and while Silva lacked through balls in open play his set piece delivery was stunning. Constantly under pressure Villa finally cracked from a back post inswinging corner from Milner, Barry met the ball and headed it across the box to a karate kicking Lescott who put the ball away cleanly.

Lescott in truth has a good game especially in attack where the childhood Villa fan had the Villains scrambling at every corner. For the goal he was helped by a confused Cuellar who instead of watching the ball ran across the box to where he thought it was going to land and Collins who wandered from his position to also close down the curing ball. Lescott was happy to accept his freedom in the box.

Freedom was something that Man City had on their left side; Albrighton was the pushing highline but also played as a wingback, he was left to chase many balls and was not aided in any way by a bungling Hutton who looked involved in the final third but lacking any defensive ability.

For Aston Villa the game came alive in the 88^th minute when McLeish encouraged his players to come forward but the late substitute N’Zogbia had little support from midfield and Albrighton had already been withdrawn. Late on Aston Villa had a couple of chances that did trouble Hart; especially a volley from Bent but it was too late and they had wasted their home advantage and Man City’s lack of away form.

Mancini would no doubt leave happier that his out of form players picked up a win but a post match interview McLeish showed he too was satisfied with his teams’ efforts.

Those Aston Villa efforts were directed to defence and three centre backs showed their intent; Albrighton played more like a returning defensive midfielder than a winger, Heskey who was great in defence offered no attacking ability and a dropping midfield left Keane frustrated in his last game and Bent completely isolated. Bent perhaps could have won many more headers with his back to goal but this was the Aston Villa ploy, hold the ball if possible and stifle the Man City possession. 

They did neither.

Aston Villa fans were no doubt expecting to concede a few more but like at Arsenal a few weeks ago Man City were there to be tested; unfortunately like the Villa team that came out in the second half of that clash at the Emirates they lacked managerial backing and any belief to win the game which ultimately made them look second rate.

The 100 odd Villa fans protesting McLeish may have been in the minority but after 88 minutes of uninspiring football and a self assured McLeish interview perhaps their numbers will swell.

Update - Dunne who was injured late on has a fractured clavicle and will be out for 2 months.

Manchester United 2 – 1 Liverpool (11/02/2012)

Two strong teams lined up in a game neither could afford to lose and it was Sir Alex who came out on top with his blend of youth, intelligence, experience and hard work.

In a game that started under an Evra/Suarez black fog and a lacking an ‘all clear’ handshake there was little animosity on the pitch and a sense of purpose from both teams.

Liverpool started the brightest and immediately pushed forward with Suarez and Kuyt running the channels well; unfortunately they were met by a staunch United defence and excellent tracking back from United’s attacking players who as soon as the game settled made both Liverpool strikers took fairly anonymous.

Wayne Rooney’s two goals in 3 minutes exemplified United’s killed instinct but the work of two of his teammates allowed move after move to find its way into the Liverpool half and Sky’s Man of the Match 

Rooney to play the game at his tempo.

Paul Scholes played a neat passing game that allowed a hardworking attacking outfit in front of him time and more importantly space to get onto the ball; a lesson for any central midfielder Scholes used his teammates to great effect and rarely misplaced a pass, or relied on the killer balls to get a move going. His body shape and control on the ball was only matched by Rooney who was devastating in all parts of the pitch and had Liverpool players scrambling.

The quality on show from both players only materialised because of their target man, channel running lone forward Welbeck who played magnificently and worked tirelessly to get himself all over the park, especially in the first half. In their own half Welbeck put Liverpool under huge amounts of pressure and allowed Giggs and Valencia to take their defensive duties seriously and time to get into attack.

This all amounted to a fairly average and stagnant performance from Liverpool who defended in numbers and failed to push United back until they changed to 442. Suarez looked full of purpose but he found it difficult to get any extra time on the ball and wasn’t helped by a slow passing midfield and dropping Gerrard.

Wayne Rooney who should have had a hat trick continually tested Liverpool in midfield and attack and looked comfortable with Scholes behind him and Valencia racing up in support. His first goal on 47mins typified his ability and Liverpool’s frailty, as a corner missed by everyone dropped to his right boot and allowed him to volley the ball past Reina with Johnson left stranded by Rooney's movement..

In the 50^th minute Rooney struck again as he was found by a fantastic Valencia who deftly played a ball into Rooney’s path allowing him to slide the ball in-between Reina’s legs. It typified United today who won many 50/50 balls and pressurised Liverpool in every part of the pitch.

On 80 minutes a Charlie Adam ball into the box and a mistake from Ferdinand, who was caught out by the flight of the ball, dropped to Suarez who duly tucked the ball past de Gea. Adam who came on with 15minutes to go allowed Liverpool a little more room and a better shape to force United back but ultimately the goal came out of nowhere and Liverpool did little to trouble United after that.

A well deserved victory for United that puts them top overnight and leaves Liverpool tittering on the edge of mediocrity.

Though United deserved the victory the game will be overshadowed by two tunnel incidences, a lack of handshake from Suarez (though Evra enjoyed the pantomime of it all), Ferdinand sticking up for this left back with the same gesture to Suarez, a foolish celebration and two passionate interviews from the opposing managers.

On the pitch the match was without incident and at the end of the day that was what mattered.

Australian Open Men's Tennis Championship - Djokovic vs. Nadal (Djokovic winner)

With six consecutive wins over Nadal Novak Djokovic came into the Australian Open Final full of belief and with quality that would have Nadal bamboozled at least once a game.

Nadal however showed that his spirit and sheer quality under pressure can only create a year of tennis to behold.

No.1 vs No.2 are usually special affairs but the two best players created a spectacle worthy of the 1am bedtime the Australian fans were treated to.

A fantastic respectful Australian crowd were treated to a thumping first set that had Nadal come out on top 7- 5. A dogged affair saw power triumph over the delicate and accurate Djokovic who pushed Rafa back on many of his first serves.

The second and third set continued with the same quality as Djokovic continued his ability to pressure Nadals serve thus taking control of points and ultimately making Nadal gaze in amazement at pin point winners.

Djokovic’s energy was terrific and his talent to return the ball deep shone as Nadal was made to work for every point he won. Ultimately Djokovic’s quality was too much and Nadal was blasted away 6 – 4. 6 – 2.

Djokovic made is look comfortable but it really wasn't and Nadal looked frustrated at history repeating itself.

The fourth set saw Nadal find new energy. Djokovic miss three break points while at 4-4 and an interruption in the way of an unexpected shower and roof closure. From that moment on Djokovic looked tired and lumbered, Nadal on the other hand pumped his fist at every given opportunity and looked like he was ready for revenge. His tenacity and quality shone from the moment he stepped back on the court and despite Djokovic’s ability on his own serve Nadal survived the gauntlet of a tie break to win the fourth set and celebrate like he has won the title.

Far from waking Djokovic up the fifth and final set began with the ball in a focussed Nadal’s hand. His torrent of attacking brutal tennis continued and the tables were turned as Djokovic reeled on his own serve. Djokovic looked out of energy and out of ideas as he served at 2 – 3, Nadal capitalised with a brilliant display of relentless aggression and accuracy to take a 4 – 2 lead. At this point Djokovic began waking up and was handed an opportunity to galvanize his mental strength when Nadal missed a simple passing winner pushing the ball fractionally wide of the line. At this point a purposeful Djokovic closed down the game and instantly broke his opponent back.

Again the match swung and a quiet, heel dragging Djokovic remembered his early form to push Nadal wherever he so chose. The unforced errors had left Djokovic’s game and Nadal was back to chasing and defending.

At 5 -5 and surviving a break point the fist pumping returned to the Spaniard however this time Nadal showed his passion to the referee when he heard the next point called “out” by a fan, Nadals return on the ball (which was in) should have been better and the same could be said for the next point as Djokovic broke the Spaniard and amazingly left himself serving for the championship.

His previous faultless serving game continued as the calm Serbian served well placed first serves and calm returns. 

Nadal looked energized and concentrated and this paid off as he pulled the game to 30 – 40 but ultimately ending up at deuce. At deuce Djokovic deserved his slice of luck as Nadal’s return struck the net to give him advantage, he duly took control on the next shot winning the Australian Open title in 5 hours and 53 minutes and ripping off his shirt in delight.

A fantastic match to set up a most likely brilliant season; the best player won on the day and Nadal is going to have to find a way to deal with Djokovic's deep returns and flat accurate shots; 5 sets doesn't seem enough of an advantage any more.

Djokovic - Nadal 

            5 - 7                         

            6 - 4

            6 - 2

            6 - 7 (Tie break 5 - 7 )

            7 - 5

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 – 3 Aston Villa (21/01/2012)

Sighs from both sides showed the fans know best as a cautious Aston Villa team came out with all three points thanks to the player that had Wolves fans fearing the worst.

Starting brightly Villa looked offensive and full of purpose; some loose passes from either side allowed some younger players to settle and the opening goal from a penalty on ten minutes delivered a black country present to the claret and blues.

Darren Bent did well to win the penalty and score the first goal, but it was a gift that he literally stole from the foot of Berra who went to kick the ball but instead connecting with Bents foot as he nipped in the steal the last touch.

Full of confidence some managers may have continued to push with a high midfield and linking Irishman but Aston Villa showed nerves and panic as they protected their lead and spent the next 35minutes pinging balls over Keane’s head. Clearly nobody had bothered to do their homework as an insightful Wolves went about slicing the Aston Villa defence apart and pulling their players from their positions thus allowing space past midfield and on the wings.

Clark at left back found Kightly impossible to track and was given no support by a disappointing Agbonlahor; Kightly made the most of his space and showed why the Wolves fans have been holding out so much hope for the injury prone winger. The warnings were not heeded and Kightly spent 45 minutes skipping past defenders, delivering quality crosses and corners and finding the back of the net. His lovely equalising goal for Wolves had a Villa backline stationary and full backs scrambling, Given couldn’t get down quickly enough and Kightly duly drove across the defence and found the corner of the net with a low curling shot.

The warning signs kept coming for the Villa as an excellent Kightly caused them problems in open play and serious issues from set pieces; ultimately Albrighton’s clearance off the line fomr a Wolves corner was an omen as Edwards headed the ball into the net from a Roger Johnson corner flick on. Wolves could have been 4 – 1 up at half time but they would have to settle for 2 – 1 as a beleaguered Aston Villa traipsed off the pitch with no doubt a managerial tirade coming their way.

Wolves came out unchanged but McLeish made a brave move by taking off Agbonlahor and putting on Warnock to quell the danger of Kightly. Clark goes to midfield, Albrighton to the left and Gardner moves to right wing. The second half starts the same with Aston Villa giving the ball away and Wolves teasing them with possession play.

In truth the second half didn’t really start for the Villa until Keane took control and Frimpong came off after Petrov kicked him in the eye; diving headers are for the brave. Keanes stunning on the turn shot curled past Hennesey and the Irishman bowed his head to the supporters as a gesture of respect. It was a great goal only surpassed by his stunning second and winner in the 84^th minute. Once again he showed great respect to the fans even after controlling the ball beautifully and lashing the winner into the net from 25yards.

Throughout the game Wolves played well but the problems at Aston Villa were evident; their fortune today came in the shape of two excellent solo strikes, the injury of Frimpong and the 76^th minute sending off of Henry for a stamp on Marc Albrighton.

Petrov played slow backward football, Gabby was ill (for the last 5 games perhaps) and Collins and Hutton made every attempt to give Wolves all the space and time they needed.

McCarthy was no doubt gutted that he took nothing; clearly today luck was against him and very much for the Villa. 

Wigan Athletic 0 - 1 Manchester City (16/01/2012)

A typically confident Martinez stood proudly as his Wigan team stepped onto the pitch to battle a strong Manchester City team; with Man City needing a win to pull clear again Wigan faced an uphill battle in a top vs. bottom clash..

As the game began Wigan seemed off the pace and in the 4th minute saw a glimpse of things to come when Dzeko, who was strong in the air all night headed just past the post. The away team only needed to wait until  the 22nd minute for him to make up for that miss when an excellently placed glancing header flashed past Al-Habsi and found its way into the corner of the net. 

Martinez will no doubt be furious as a smart Dzeko was allowed to wander about ignored and come back from an offside position just before the set piece from Silva was struck. 

This ultimately gave him the edge over the Wigan defenders who were mostly looking forward unable to see where Dzeko was going to spring from; a great ball made things even simpler but a brilliant headed nonetheless.

After that Wigan used the ball well but some good covering play meant they were relying on individual skill and not team support. Moses caused the Man City back line the most trouble and regularly used his pace and strength to manoeuvre past opposition players, Rodallega however seemed frustrated at the lack of quick return balls but added very little when he did get the ball at his feet.

The game became very open in the second half and this was almost Wigan's undoing; an annoyed Aguero danced through the Wigan defence before Dzeko stole his shot and tested Al-Habsi with a limp effort; Mancini also had a part to play when Figueroa misjudged a header on the half way line and proceeded to stop the ball with his hand. Mancini threw his arm in the air suggesting the ref should have given a red; he might have been right but it really wasn't his place to say.

Al-Habsi made a string of saves throughout the match and showed why a few clubs were after him at when the season began; he definitely wasn't helped by Caldwell who gave the ball away on a number of occasions.

Wigan tested Man City throughout the second half with a battling display or pressing football and brilliant determination but the link that allowed them to play past the high line; or dropping attackers didn't really pay in the final third and crosses either hit the first defender or were hit low. 

Stam could have changed the game for the home team but blew his opportunities to put the ball in early or kept hitting the first defender. 

The introduction of Watson and Di Santo pushed Man City back further with the latter looking cumbersome and poor in the air; Watson controlled the midfield well and was at the heart of many late quality Wigan moves; McManaman came on late and also showed he had some ability with simple passing and good drive with the ball.

Ultimately this was Man City's day; Wigan played well but need someone to help the ball into the box if they are going to stay in the Premier League, Man City of course showed everyone that in any given moment they can turn defence into attack, especially with Aguero on the pitch but the loss of Toure is one Man City are struggling to come to terms with; this weekends game against Tottenham should be fascinating but for now Mancini will be happy he left the DW with all 3 points.

Newcastle United 1 - 0 QPR (15/01/2012)

Mark Hughes was the centre of attention but two less popular sorts in Best and Guthrie made his first game in charge a little harder than he'd have liked.

QPR started brightly but lacked midfield support and found themselves with early chances but nothing to show from them. They hit the woodwork twice in the first half and pushed on well; unfortunately a lot of their attacks came from a quick Shaun Wright Phillips carrying the ball, or some excellent but lofty passes by Buzsaky; this allowed Newcastle to get back into position and while they were threatened never looked too concerned after the early flurry, especially with an excellent Krul behind them.

Shaun Derry's slow witted tackle on Cabaye saw the midfielder injured and this was the future of Derry's game. He looked off the pace throughout and this created time for the Newcastle players to eventually take control of the game. 

Jamie Mackie looked in excellent form and continued to make strong runs through the centre of midfield, unfortunately at times the rest of his team acted like onlookers rather than supporting players and by this time Guthrie came into his own and silently closed and broke down many QPR attacks.

In the 37th minute a solid Taylor dug the ball out with a nice pass and Leon Bests well taken goal sent Paddy Kenny the wrong way. 

QPR had better use of the ball in the first half but once again the fortress that was St James Park stayed firm. The second half saw QPR continue to play attacking football but Ameobi managed to slow the game up front and allowed the Newcastle midfielders to push QPR back.

Ben Arfa who had come on for Cabaye continued to test the QPR defensive players with excellent footwork and passing ability but showed he is lacking match fitness in the last 15 minutes as he laboured about the park a little.

QPR's Mackie took more responsibility with the ball was but ultimately left alone as Newcastle broke up attacks and  used the ball well. Apart from the first 25mins when QPR had new manager syndrome and Bothroyd, Buzsaky and Wright Phillips made space with individual skill Newcastle took the points in the way a solid team does.

The Championship Manager (now Football Manager) story that Pardew is living continues and his shrewd purchases continue to come good. Hughes must be gutted as QPR deserved something from the match but then again going to the now Sports Direct Arena has never been an easy task for anyone.

Aston Villa 1 - 1 Everton (14/01/2012)

As the teams lined up there was a silence amongst the fans that gave us no clue the match was about to begin. The 27,000 Aston Villa fans were clearly expecting the worst and in the main the team didn't disappoint.

In the first half drab football from the home team and a high line by the away team just made things worse and as the second half whistle blew friends were still chatting to each other.

The first half saw Everton pushing on and playing the ball through midfield with good confidence. An intelligent Petrov and defensive Clark stayed back and found it difficult to come forward with the ball, or receive it in the opposition half.

Fellaini however was enjoying the defensive Villa midfield and played balls straight between, or across them. Everton used the wingers well and the insightful running of Landon Donovan dragged defending players out of position giving his team mates a lot of room. Good defensive support from Drenthe neutralised Albrighton as a threat, Gibson looked out of practice and Cahill isn't a striker but yet Everton still made things very difficult for the Villa back line.

At the other end Bent was dragging defenders very well but his passing was woeful as Aston Villa spurred many counter attacks and rarely troubled Everton. The first half also saw a poor Alan Hutton getting away with a penalty; it was a good job Saha made contact with the ball; Hutton might not have been so lucky if Saha had missed it all together.

Slow passing from Villa, no desire to play one touch football and a quiet Agbonlahor summed up the first half, one which Everton easily won but couldn't put the ball into the back of the net. (despite Warnock trying the most ridiculous back pass ever)

The second half saw a shift of momentum, but only until the 56 minute when Bent scored a great tap in. I say great because Aston Villa showed no signs of effort until that is Albrighton got his wish to play sharp, one touch football. Not blessed with amazing physical attributes he worked well with Ireland to move the ball around quickly and create space against backward running defenders. This proved the reason for the goal as an Albrighton cross caused trouble in the box and Ireland was able to take advantage of a loose ball and cross for Bent to tap in.

At this point perhaps Aston Villa would have been better to try and seal the game rather than protect the lead but they returned to the slow, safe football that ultimately cost them.

Landon Donovan who had played excellently continued to stand out from his team mates; a now yellow carded Fellaini looked quiet but his simple passing was allowing play to move forward; unlike the backward passing Petrov. Donovan ghosted past players with ease and an excellent pass through the middle of Dunne and Warnock (Collins had typically charged forward to make a tackle) found Anichebe who slotted the ball away nicely. Albrighton was sure he had kept Anichebe offside but that is why he is a right winger and not a left back.

The rest of the game saw Aston Villa push forward always looking vulnerable to the Everton counter; they stopped using their wide men and the very late introduction of Keane continued to show their ineptness as a slow Keane found space but had nobody to support him.

A fair result and a good one for Everton who played with midfielders in every part of the pitch but still managed to look the team with the better understanding of their game.