BIZARRE as it might seem, certainly after the cruellest of defeats, Gerard Houllier could have left the Reekok Stadium feeling vindicated over sacrificing the FA Cup for the sake of fortifying Villa’s Premier league position.
Whether the Frenchman did or not only he knows.
“Wednesday is finished, I have dealt with that now,” the Villa boss bridled after seeing his side repeatedly cut Bolton to ribbons only to lose to Ivan Klasnic’s 86th minute goal.
In the context of the match that was harsh on a visiting team restored to full strength following the Match Whose Name We No Longer Mention.
His side, which featured eight changes from the one that had lost so meekly at Manchester City three days earlier, looked refreshed and positive.
They were inventive with the ball and industrious without it.
It is difficult to believe they would have created quite so many chances had Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young and Darren Bent all put in 90 minutes at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Yet herein lies the difference between performance and outcome.
In placing, none too carefully at that, all of his eggs into the basket marked Relegation Avoidance, Houllier imbued this trip to Lancashire with extra significance.
Defeat to City meant the club’s fans would accept nothing less than three points here, with which to sweeten what had been a bitter pill.
Villa certainly deserved them and would have got them had Young not choked with a 70th minute penalty that would have made it 3-1 and given them the insurance of a two-goal lead.
But that miss was probably Young’s only mistake of another excellent match.
He troubled the hosts with his trickery and eye for a pass as much as he irritated the home supporters with his frequent gravitational problems.
Poor Darren Bent could only dream of making such a claim.
His profligacy was one of the chief reasons why Houllier did not have the opportunity to come out and claim Wednesday’s selection gamble had paid off.
Yes, the most deadly English marksman in the top flight scored.
In turning home Kyle Walker’s inviting cross on the quarter-hour mark he bagged his 14th league goal of the season.
