Aston Villa 0, West Ham 0: Andy Walker's big match verdict
Jan 18 2010 By Mat Kendrick
Their afternoon was summed up deep into injury time when Gabby Agbonlahor should have bagged the winner that Villa deserved.
Instead the Brummie striker, who found himself with only Robert Green to beat, was let down by a poor touch and a rush of blood to the head.
Perhaps tiredness had a part to play in Villa’s failure to see off a West Ham side there for the taking.
The Hammers hadn’t played for two weeks while Villa had been in action just three days earlier.
After a minute silence in memory of the victims of the Togo team attack (which was followed by fans’ chants of Moustapha Salifou), it was an uncharacteristic lethargic start from Villa. With Emile Heskey passed fit, O’Neill had opted to make just one change from the side that won at Blackburn, in goal with Brad Friedel returning between the sticks.
It took Villa 20 minutes to wake up, in which times Hammers striker Frank Nouble had threatened to register a goal of the season candidate with a mazy run from his own half.
When they did perk up, Villa ensured that England goalie Green had a busy time of it.
Ashley Young almost caught him off guard with a floated cross while Agbonlahor’s volley was acrobatically tipped away.
In the second-half, James Milner, who had scored four from seven starts in central midfield, shaved the post with a thunderous low drive from 25-yards before ex-Hammer James Collins hit a well-struck volley into the side-netting.
Carew was introduced for Heskey and the Norwegian looked to have found a breakthrough on the hour mark. Stewart Downing’s shot was fumbled by Green and Carew bundled the ball home, only to be flagged for off-side.
At the other end, Collins some how managed to avoid scoring an own goal when he hooked clear Junior Stanislas’ drive across the six-yard box with Nouble lurking, before Agbonlahor’s injury-time chance for a winner was quickly pounced on by Green.
The road to Wembley may be in front of Villa, but they need to remain focused on the route to the Champions League.
