Birmingham City 0 Aston Villa 1 - Full time report

Sep 13 2009 PA Sport

Birmingham City 0 Aston Villa 1

(read our live match blog at birminghampost.net/live or birminghammail.net/live)

Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor broke  Blues hearts with a late winner in the Second City derby at St Andrew's.

In a game of few chances, Agbonlahor latched on to a John Carew flick-on to nod the ball past Joe Hart five minutes from time.

Blues had dominated for much of the second half but failed to create anything of note to trouble Villa keeper Brad Friedel and they paid for their lacklustre display when Agbonlahor pounced to score from close range.

Villa, with three debutants in defence, James Collins, Richard Dunne and Steven Warnock, coped easily with Birmingham's initial advances into their half.

It was the visitors who had the first real chance to get on the scoresheet in the seventh minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor slipped the ball to James Milner inside the penalty area.

But the Villa midfielder wanted too much time and his right-foot shot was well wide of Joe Hart's right-hand upright.

But Blues bounced back immediately and Villa were forced into some desperate defending as shots from Gary O'Connor and Sebastien Larsson were prevented from reaching their target.

There were plenty of fierce tackles in the opening exchanges but referee Howard Webb did well to keep things under control instead of resorting to a flurry yellow cards.

Both sides struggled to gain control in the midfield but the home side, boosted by the speed of James McFadden on the left and the work-rate of Larsson on the right, often had Villa on the back foot.

In the 21st minute though it was Villa's Milner again who squandered a great chance to put the visitors in front.

Agbonlahor's pace again proved too much for the Blues defence and when his low cross arrived into the penalty area, Milner's first-time effort scuffed off his boot and out of play.

Blues's first real opening arrived on the half-hour when a neat flick-on by O'Connor put Lee Bowyer in the clear.

The Blues midfielder tested Brad Friedel in the Villa goal with stinging right-foot drive that the American keeper did will to punch to safety.

Moments later a long range effort from Keith Fahey flashed just wide of Friedel's left-hand upright.

But anything Blues could muster, Villa were eager to match and within seconds Milner sent a 20-yard drive wide of the target at the opposite end.