Game #4803
Aston Villa
Saturday, 24 April 2004
Won
6th (-)
Last 5: 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨 🟩
Premier League
Attendance: 31,322
Middlesbrough
Riverside Stadium
Villa win at the last to keep up the pressure on the European places and make it eleven wins in twenty Premier League games under David O'Leary as they consolidate sixth in the table.
Middlesbrough
1-2
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Thomas Hitzlsperger | 45’ |
KEY MAN
Peter Crouch celebrates his late winner to keep Villa 6th and make it eleven wins in twenty Premier League games under David O'Leary, Saturday, 24 April 2004.
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MATCH TIMELINE
Saturday, 24 April 2004
🟨 | 13’ Booking, Gareth Barry
🥅 | 41’ Goal, 0-1, (Middlesbrough), Joseph-Désiré Job
⚽ | 45’ Goal, 1-1, Gareth Barry, Assist by Thomas Hitzlsperger
🕒 | HT Middlesbrough 1-1 Aston Villa
🔁 | 52’ Sub off, Gareth Barry, Sub on, Peter Whittingham
🟥 | 57’ Sending off, Nolberto Solano
🔁 | 58’ Sub off, Darius Vassell, Sub on, Mark Delaney
🔁 | 74’ Sub off, Juan Pablo Ángel, Sub on, Peter Crouch
⚽ | 89’ Goal, 2-1, Peter Crouch, Assist by Ulises de la Cruz
🟨 | 89’ Booking, Peter Crouch
🕒 | FT Middlesbrough 1-2 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Villa see off shadow Villa side Middlesbrough, despite being reduced to 10 men, and keep up their challenge for Champions League qualification as Boro's ex Villa contingent have nothing to play for except their pay packet.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Middlesbrough
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 2003-04
FIXTURE HISTORY
Middlesbrough
Previous 5 vs. Middlesbrough: 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2003-04 |
Matchday | #42 |
League Game | #35 |
Manager Game | #42 |
Saturday, 24 April 2004
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 | Stoke Newington, 2003-2006
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004
Kick off: 8.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Graham Barber | 🏴 | Tring, 1994-2004
Previous 5: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥
Last Match: 🟥 10 January 2004, Villa 0-1 Liverpool, Anfield.
Cards: 🟥 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Gavin McCann and Juan Pablo Ángel replace Lee Hendrie and Peter Crouch.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.87 |
Oldest Player |
CB Ronny Johnsen | 🇳🇴 | 34.90 |
Youngest Player |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 🇩🇪 | 22.07 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
Steve McLaren | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 |
CB Ronny Johnsen | 🇳🇴 |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 |
RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 🟨 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 🇩🇪 | 🔥 |
W Nolberto Solano | 🇵🇪 | 🟥 |
CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | 🔁 |
F Darius Vassell | 🏴 | 🔁 |
Middlesbrough
GK Mark Schwarzer | 🇦🇺 |
LB Frank Queudrue | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
CB Ugo Ehiogu (ex) | 🏴 |
RB Danny Mills | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M George Boateng (ex) | 🇳🇱 |
M Juninho Paulista | 🇧🇷 |
M Gaizka Mendieta | 🇪🇸 |
W Boudewijn Zenden | 🇳🇱 |
CF Michael Ricketts | 🏴 |
CF Massimo Maccarone | 🇮🇹 | 🟨 |
CF Joseph-Désiré Job | 🇨🇲 | ⚽ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 W Peter Whittingham | 🏴 | for M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 53’ |
🔁 RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 | for F Darius Vassell | 🏴 | 58’ |
🔁 CF Peter Crouch | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 | for CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | 74’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | LB Frank Queudrue | 🇫🇷 | (W Stewart Downing | 🏴 |)
🔁 | RB Danny Mills | 🏴 | (F Szilard Németh | 🇸🇰 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stefan Postma | 🇳🇱 |
CB Liam Ridgewell | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Jones | 🇦🇺 |
LB Colin Cooper | 🏴 |
M Jonathan Greening | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 4/11
Homegrown: 4/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/16
Homegrown: 6/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE

PROGRAMME

MATCHDAY QUOTES
"But just when it seemed as if their stubborn defence would steal the plaudits for stopping all that Boro could create, Crouch crept in and stole all three points."
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 24 April, 2004
Aston Villa maintained their push for a Champions League spot with a last-minute goal from Peter Crouch.
The substitute slotted from close range to give Villa’s 10-men a shock win following Nolberto Solano’s second-half sending off for violent conduct.
Boro opened the scoring when Gaizka Mendieta played in Joseph-Desire Job who fired in a fierce shot.
But Gareth Barry levelled with a header from a Thomas Hitzlsperger free-kick before Crouch’s injury time winner.
The visitors had made most of the early running in the first half, a stark contrast to the backs-to-the-wall way in which they played the majority of the second.
Darius Vassell outpaced former Villain Ugo Ehiogu only to be denied by Mark Schwarzer and Hitzlsperger shot into the side netting from 15 yards.
But having played a supporting role for the first 25 minutes, Middlesbrough suddenly took centre stage, with Mendieta in the spotlight. The Spaniard played in both Massimo Macarone and Job in quick succession only to see their efforts stopped by the alert Scandinavian pair of Thomas Sorensen and Olof Mellberg.
Minutes later it was third time lucky for the influential Mendieta when he threaded a ball through to Job in the box and the Cameroonian striker left Sorensen with no chance.
But the Boro fans had barely stopped celebrating before Villa were level in first-half stoppage time, Hitzlsperger’s inswinging free-kick from the right, following a Franck Queudrue foul on Solano, being glanced in by Barry.
But after the break Boro began to dominate proceedings and their hopes of a fifth successive home win were helped by Solano’s second-half sending off.
The Peruvian tangled with George Boateng, and when the former Villa player went down, referee Barber had no option but to wield the red card.
Vassell made way for Mark Delaney and Villa focused on shutting up shop and returning to the Midlands with a point.
But just when it seemed as if their stubborn defence would steal the plaudits for stopping all that Boro could create, Crouch crept in and stole all three points. Schwarzer could only parry Ulises De La Cruz’s late shot and the striker was on hand to score.
Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren enjoyed the build up to the match with a training break in Malaga and can rest easy for the rest of the season with a return ticket to Europe assured courtesy of the club’s Carling Cup win.
David O’Leary, who has never failed to qualify for Europe in his short managerial career, could be joining him with Villa occupying a Uefa Cup spot.
But if his side can enjoy more luck along these lines late in the season, fourth place and a Champions League berth will be firmly in their sights.