Game #4815
Aston Villa
Saturday, 2 October 2004
Drew
8th (+1)
Last 5: 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨 🟨
Premier League
Attendance: 20,502
Blackburn Rovers
Ewood Park
Villa record a fourth consecutive Premier League draw to leave them with two wins in eight matches under David O'Leary as the media starts to call out the manager's post match dribbles of drivel.
Blackburn Rovers
2-2
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Ulises de la Cruz | 25’ | Mark Delaney | 80’ |
KEY MAN
Olof Mellberg celebrates his late equaliser at Blackburn that secures Villa a fourth successive Premier League draw under David O'Leary, Saturday, 2 October 2004.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Saturday, 2 October 2004
⚽ | 25’ Goal, 1-0, Juan Pablo Ángel, Assist by Ulises de la Cruz
🥅 | 29’ Goal, 1-1, (Blackburn Rovers), Barry Ferguson
🕒 | HT Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Aston Villa
🟨 | 60’ Booking, Gavin McCann
🥅 | 63’ Goal, 1-2, (Blackburn Rovers), Brett Emerton
🟨 | 69’ Booking, Nolberto Solano
🔁 | 76’ Sub off, Gareth Barry, Sub on, Thomas Hitzlsperger
🔁 | 76’ Sub off, Nolberto Solano, Sub on, Darius Vassell
⚽ | 80’ Goal, 2-2, Olof Mellberg, Assist by Mark Delaney
🕒 | FT Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Villa draw in the League for the fourth successive game but are now unbeaten in five as they climb to 8th place in the table after eight games having lost once.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Blackburn Rovers
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 2001-02
FIXTURE HISTORY
Blackburn Rovers
Previous 5 vs. Blackburn: 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟥
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2004-05 |
Matchday | #9 |
League Game | #8 |
Manager Game | #54 |
Saturday, 2 October 2004
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 | Stoke Newington, 2003-2006
Referee: Peter Walton | 🏴 | Northamptonshire, 1998-2012
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 2-2
FT Score: 🟨 2-2
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Last 5: 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨 🟨
MANAGERIAL RECORD
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 54 | 🟩 | 23 🟨 | 16 🟥 15 | 1.57
Career Form:
Top 8
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Peter Walton | 🏴 | Northamptonshire, 1998-2012
Previous 5:
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Peter Walton
CARDS
Villa
🟨 🟨
Blackburn Rovers
🟨 🟨
TEAM NEWS
Carlton Cole replaces Darius Vassell.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.81 |
Oldest Player |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 | 30.17 |
Youngest Player |
CF Carlton Cole | 🏴 | 20.90 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
Mark Hughes | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 | ⚽ |
RB Mark Delaney | 🏴 | 🔥 |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 | 🔥 |
RB Jlloyd Samuel | 🏴 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 | 🟨 |
W Nolberto Solano | 🇵🇪 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 | ⚽ |
CF Carlton Cole | 🏴 |
Blackburn Rovers
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Dominic Matteo | 🏴 |
LB Michael Gray | 🏴 |
CB Lucas Neill | 🇦🇺 | 🟨 |
CB Lorenzo Amoruso | 🇮🇹 |
M Tugay Kerimoğlu | 🇹🇷 |
M Youri Djorkaeff | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
M Barry Ferguson | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W Brett Emerton | 🇦🇺 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
CF Paul Dickov | 🏴 |
CF Matt Jansen | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 🇩🇪 | for M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | 76’ |
🔁 CF Darius Vassell | 🏴 | for W Nolberto Solano | 🇵🇪 | 76’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Youri Djorkaeff | 🇫🇷 | (CF Jon Stead | 🏴 |)
🔁 | CF Matt Jansen | 🏴 | (M Garry Flitcroft | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stefan Postma | 🇳🇱 |
M Steven Davis | 🇬🇧 |
W Peter Whittingham | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Peter Enckelman | 🇫🇮 |
LB Nils-Eric Johansson | 🇸🇪 |
CF Jay Bothroyd | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Homegrown: 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/16
Homegrown: 7/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Positions:
GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half
M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward
Match Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“I’m not pleased at getting a point.
“Not at all.
[*The Guardian* Monday, 4 October, 2004: As usual he dealt in contradictions: first lamenting the failure to win, then pleading poverty and setting his sights low.]
“Our aim is to avoid what Everton did last year [slide from seventh to 17th].
[*The Guardian* Monday, 4 October, 2004: But he knows his neat side are much better than that, and such disingenuous propaganda serves only to give them a subconscious excuse for failure.]
David O’Leary.
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 2 October 2004
Olof Mellberg’s goal 10 minutes from time gave Aston Villa a share of the points after a lively encounter.
Juan Pablo Angel slid home Ulises de la Cruz’s pass to give the visitors the lead on 25 minutes.
Blackburn hit back when Barry Ferguson tucked in Paul Dickov’s cross and took the lead when Brett Emerton converted debutant Youri Djorkaeff’s clever pass.
But Mellberg bundled in Mark Delaney’s knockdown to give Villa their fourth straight draw in the Premiership.
David O’Leary’s side are still without an away win this season, but it would have been harsh on Blackburn if they had registered it at Ewood Park.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes elected to throw new signing Djorkaeff straight into the action, despite not having played a competitive game this season.
But the decision looked completely justified as the 36-year-old was at the heart of most of Blackburn’s best work during an entertaining first half.
But though the hosts were always threatening going forward, they looked vulnerable at the back and they were made to pay when Villa took the lead against the run of play.
De la Cruz slid a perfect pass through to find fellow South American Angel, who fired a low strike into the bottom right hand corner for his side’s second away goal of the season.
But Blackburn were level five minutes later as this time Villa’s defence was exposed.
The impressive Dickov hustled his way to the byline and crossed into the six-yard box where Villa allowed Ferguson to sneak in unmarked at the near post to tap home.
The visitors were inches away from retaking the lead 10 minutes after the break when Lee Hendrie saw his curling effort come back off the post.
Worse was to come for Villa when Angel headed in Nolberto Solano’s free-kick only for the linesman to flag for offside.
And the visitors’ misery was complete moments later when they gave the ball away in midfield and Blackburn took full advantage.
Djorkaeff capped an excellent debut by feeding Emerton, who put his side ahead with a neat right-foot finish.
Villa continued to create chances, with Angel hitting the post and Brad Friedel making a sharp stop from Carlton Cole’s drive.
And they eventually grabbed the equaliser on 80 minutes when Delaney knocked down a corner for Mellberg to tap in.
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. With thanks to Trinity Mirror. Digitised by Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited. All rights reserved. Source: British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)