Aston Villa 1, Tottenham 2: Bill Howell's big match verdict
Mar 16 2009 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail
Agbonlahor, in truth, has been running on empty for a while but he did not deserve such sarcasm.
Villa thus vacated fourth position for the first time this year.
They had first crept into the Champions League places when winning at White Hart Lane back in September.
Not since December 28, when Arsenal were momentarily ahead by virtue of scoring one more goal, had Villa been out of the top four.
O’Neill’s men promptly won at Hull City and had never looked back.
Until this wretched seven-game unbeaten run – with one point from 12 in the Premier League.
Tottenham’s only previous maximum in 22 league and cup visits to Villa Park had been six years ago.
But the proverbial dream start came their way when Aaron Lennon’s cross was palmed out by Brad Friedel to Jermaine Jenas who could barely believe his luck as he headed home.
To be fair to Villa they were well on top for the next 40 minutes but without creating any clear-cut chances. An impressive Stiliyan Petrov got away from Wilson Palacios and thundered a shot barely a foot over the bar from 25 yards.
Ashley Young, for the umpteenth time, made Didier Zokora’s life a misery only for Emile Heskey to poke wide at the near post.
More superb wing-play by Young, before Zokora was taken off and replaced by Vedran Corluka who was a tougher not to crack, saw Tottenham only half-clear before Gareth Barry’s shot was well saved by Heurelho Gomes.
Heskey rattled the crossbar with a header from Barry’s hanging cross after out-jumping Ledley King.
It was all Villa until just before the break when Carlos Cuellar’s error allowed Darren Bent to scurry into the box with Zat Knight deflecting the ball around the near post as Robbie Keane waited to pounce.
Friedel produced a fine save to deny Luca Modric after a wonderful Spurs move.
After the break Villa were poor with just Barry’s mis-hit hook which failed to trouble Gomes and a long-range Petrov shot which cannoned back off the keeper.
John Carew’s header, in off the crossbar after outjumping Woodgate from a superb James Milner cross, reduced the arrears late on.
But by then Tottenham could have been out of sight.
They were 2-0 up at the start of the half when Lennon cut their defence in two with a mazy run. Palacios’ shot was palmed away by Friedel only for Keane to swallow the rebound. His shot rolled to the far post where Bent tapped home.
