Aston Villa 3 Everton 3: Bill Howell's big match verdict

Apr 13 2009 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

A minute later Stephen Piennar cut inside Luke Young and drilled a right foot shot just wide of Friedel’s right hand post.

Tim Cahill’s low shot was tipped around the near post by a busy Friedel after good work by Jo.

There was simply no respite for Villa and Cahill nodded the second after some poor defending from Piennar’s corner.

Cahill grabbed and then outmuscled Davies, headed against the crossbar and was first to react to plant the rebound into the net.

Villa were chasing shadows and Friedel had to dive at the feet of Leon Osman after Davies’ sliding tackle on Jo fell kindly to the winger.

Villa had offered little other than a James Milner snap-shot from outside the box, which was too close to Tim Howard who held at the second attempt.

Out of nothing Villa got themselves back into the contest with John Carew scoring his 13th goal of a season in which three months had been lost to injury.

Luke Young and Milner linked down the right, Milner sent over the cross which flicked off Joleon Lescott’s head.

Barry played the ball back into mix, it bounced off Gabby Agbonlahor to Carew who swept home.

The second half saw as exciting a contest as you could wish to see.

Thirty seven seconds in and Villa were claiming a penalty.

Ashley Young appeared to be pulled to the ground in the box by Tony Hibbert, who was already on a yellow card.

Referee Howard Webb immediately pointed for a goal-kick, although the Holte End almost to a man were rejoicing the award of a penalty.

Two minutes later Young was again falling to the floor inside the box after catching Hibbert’s standing foot.

Villa’s hopes looked to have ended when Piennar drilled a terrific goal inside the far post after good work initially by Jo down the left. But within a minute Milner’s tremendous 25-yard free-kick, after Cahill’s tug on Barry’s shirt, curled around the Everton wall and the home crowd began believing again.

Incessant Villa attacking put the visitors under intense pressure, but it was from a controversial call by referee Webb where they gained their lifeline.

Carew’s flick-on had Lescott trying to execute a tricky overhead clearance but he succeeded only in kicking the side of Stiliyan Petrov’s face.

Barry was ice cool from the penalty spot, ramming his shot straight down the middle for his eighth goal of the season and fifth in the league.

Villa were not done yet and almost scored a fourth with Ashley Young driving wide from the edge of the box after Carew’s excellent hold-up play.

Zat Knight nodded into the side-netting then substitute Nathan Delfouneso almost got on the end of Milner’s fine cross which had flicked off Carew’s head across the six yard box. With just 30 seconds of normal time remaining Everton substitute Louis Saha sent his shot over the crossbar.

Delfouneso came close to his first league goal but after doing the hard work saw Howard pull off a save.

Still Villa poured forth but Ashley Young clipped a delicious shot narrowly over the crossbar after a trademark dribble.

Petrov produced the ball of the match with the outside of his boot with seconds remaining, only for Milner to nod agonisingly over at the far post.