Game #4892
Aston Villa
Sunday, 7 May 2006
Won
16th (-)
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩
Premier League
Attendance: 33,820
Sunderland
Villa Park
Villa end the season with a tenth Premier League victory in thirty eight games under David O'Leary as the disliked manager and his Chairman would exit the Villa stage during the summer as a new chapter dawned.
Aston Villa
2-1
Sunderland
Assist(s) | Steven Davis | 43’ |
KEY MAN
Gareth Barry celebrates his opener in Villa's final day win over Sunderland as David O'Leary's unpopular reign ends with a tenth win in thirty eight Premier League games, Sunday, 7 May 2006.
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MATCH TIMELINE
Sunday, 7 May 2006
⚽ | 43’ Goal, 1-0, Gareth Barry, Assist by Steven Davis
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 1-0 Sunderland
🟨 | 48’ Booking, Gavin McCann
🟨 | 55’ Booking, Gary Cahill
🔁 | 66’ Sub off, Kevin Phillips 🔴, Sub on, Gabriel Agbonlahor
💥 | Missed Penalty, Gareth Barry
⚽ | 78’ Goal, 2-0, Liam Ridgewell
🟨 | 81’ Booking, Liam Ridgewell
🔁 | 82’ Sub off, James Milner 🔴, Sub on, Lee Hendrie
🥅 | 88’ Goal, 2-1, (Sunderland), Danny Collins
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
ON THIS DAY
Despite his protestations to the contrary and with his delusion still bubbling away this would indeed prove to be David O’Leary’s final game in charge of Villa.
O’Leary would be removed from post as part of the deal that saw American Randy Lerner buy the club - a move that would also end Herbert Ellis’ long, oft debilitating control of the club.
David O’Leary was not a popular appointment in 2003, by 2005 he was a pariah and by the end of his reign a figure of mirth.
In truth O’Leary confounded the critics across a 6 month spell in 2003-04 and delivered a truly unexpected 6th placed finish, thereafter however Villa’s 10th and 16th placed finishes flattered their manager.
However therein lay the paradox, O’Leary was often excellent in the transfer market, frequently unlucky with injuries and consistently blooding youth team talent. But O’Leary could demotivate any team that was in front of him and the kernel of a strong side was undermined by his rash comments, constant changes and willingness to dispose of talent far too early.
Combined with a truly divisive personality and a dismissive attitude to the fans it was no surprise he got on well with his Chairman but equally no surprise that there was no warmth - or quarter given - to fall back on when things, as many had expected from the first day of his appointment, went very wrong.
Villa had, like any club, under achieving managers before, and had appointed people out of their depth, unsuited or simply unlucky but never before had there been an individual subject to such a depth of dislike and distrust almost from day one.
Did that stop O’Leary achieving his aims? Firstly, Villa had no aims during his reign, there was no plan and no goal, a managerial appointment in the image of the Chairman. Secondly, O’Leary had form, at Leeds as manager and at Arsenal as a player. This was not an appointment that would ever be a catalyst for harmony.
Did Villa fans expect too much? Were they “sugarbags” after all?
No, they just weren’t fooled by the man in the dugout.
Forward Kevin Phillips played his final game for Villa aged 32 after just one season with the club. In total Phillips played 27 games, scoring 5 goals before being sold on to West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £945,000 in August 2006 as new Villa boss Martin O’Neill deemed the veteran striker as surplus to requirements.
James Milner, 20, played the final game of his season long loan from Newcastle United. Although earmarked as one of Martin O’Neill and Randy Lerner’s first signings, and with a contract agreed, shenanigans from the notoriously amateurish Newcastle board prevented the transfer and left the player and club bereft. Milner would of course return, but he never should have left.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Sunderland
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1972-73
FIXTURE HISTORY
Sunderland
Previous 5 vs. Sunderland: 🟨 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2005-06 |
Matchday | #45 |
League Game | #38 |
Manager Game | #131 |
Sunday, 7 May 2006
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: David O’Leary | 🇮🇪 | Stoke Newington, 2003-2006
Referee: Mike Dean | 🏴 | Wirral, 1997-2022
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩
MANAGERIAL RECORD
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 131 | 🟩 | 47 🟨 | 35 🟥 49 | 1.34
Career Form:
Mid Table
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mike Dean | 🏴 | Wirral, 1997-2022
Previous 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 4 Mar 06, Villa 1-0 Portsmouth (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Mike Dean
CARDS
Villa
🟨 🟨 🟨
Sunderland
🟨 🟨
TEAM NEWS
Juan Pablo Ángel, Kevin Phillips and Liam Ridgewell replace Milan Baroš, Olof Mellberg and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 25.93 |
Oldest Player |
F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 | 32.89 |
Youngest Player |
W James Milner | 🏴 | 20.35 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
David O'Leary | 🇮🇪 |
Kevin Ball | 🏴 | (Caretaker)
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
LB Aaron Hughes | 🇬🇧 |
CB Gary Cahill | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CB Liam Ridgewell | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
RB Wilfred Bouma | 🇳🇱 |
M Gavin McCann | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Steven Davis | 🇬🇧 | 🔥 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ |
W James Milner | 🏴 | 🔴 | 🔁 |
CF Juan Pablo Ángel | 🇨🇴 |
F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 | 🔴 | 🔁 |
Sunderland
GK Kelvin Davis | 🏴 |
LB George McCartney | 🇬🇧 | 🔁 |
CB Gary Breen | 🇮🇪 |
CB Steven Caldwell | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CB Nyron Nosworthy | 🇯🇲 |
RB Justin Hoyte | 🇹🇹 |
M Dean Whitehead | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Tommy Miller | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Andy Welsh | 🏴 |
CF Anthony Le Tallec | 🇫🇷 |
CF Chris Brown | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 CF Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | for CF Kevin Phillips | 🏴 | 66’ |
🔁 M Lee Hendrie | 🏴 | for W James Milner | 🏴 | 82’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | LB George McCartney | 🇬🇧 | (CB Danny Collins | 🏴 | ⚽ |)
🔁 | CB Steven Caldwell | 🏴 | (CF Daryl Murphy | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | M Tommy Miller | 🏴 | (M Grant Leadbitter | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stuart Taylor | 🏴 |
RB Ulises de la Cruz | 🇪🇨 |
F Luke Moore | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Ben Alnwick | 🏴 |
CF Kevin Kyle | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Homegrown: 4/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 12/16
Homegrown: 7/16
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/16
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
🔴 W James Milner | 🏴 |
🔴 F Kevin Phillips | 🏴 |
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“We should have won by more goals - with the movement and passing, we should have been well ahead and the first goal summed that up.
“I thought it would be a good game to end the season with, as you would have two teams having a go at each other.
“But we haven’t taken enough points here, although we’ve done well on the road. We didn’t put our chances away.”
David O’Leary.
*BBC Sport*
Sunday, 7 May 2006
Gareth Barry and Liam Ridgewell were on target as Aston Villa wrapped up the season with a victory - and Sunderland bade farewell to the Premiership.
Barry started and finished a four-man move just before the interval by drilling his shot past Kelvin Davis.
After Barry’s second-half penalty was well saved by Davis, Ridgewell made it 2-0 with a header from a corner.
Danny Collins, who earlier had a header cleared off the line by Barry, headed in a consolation in the dying minutes.
With both sides looking to end a disappointing season with a win, Villa boss David O’Leary rested Milan Baros and Olof Mellberg ahead of this summer’s World Cup finals.
But Sunderland’s Davis was the busier keeper in the early stages, holding a low strike by James Milner and punching clear when Ridgewell was left unmarked six yards out.
Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen was not seriously tested by his old team in the first half, with Justin Hoyte off-target from distance, while Dean Whitehead wasted a free-kick in a good position by blazing high and wide.
Another ex-Sunderland man, Kevin Phillips, had been recalled to the starting line-up but headed wide from a Milner centre.
Milner, in possibly his last appearance for Villa, was a constant threat on their right but Sunderland skipper Gary Breen was on hand to nod a dangerous cross behind, although Juan Pablo Angel hooked his shot wide from the resulting corner.
Davis then parried a fierce drive from the Colombian before Breen did well to block Milner’s rebound effort.
Both sides were lacking a killer instinct and Sunderland’s problems increased after losing defenders George McCartney and Stephen Caldwell to injury in the first half-hour.
But Villa eventually went ahead when Barry began a neat passing sequence - with Angel and Milner involved before Steven Davis teed up the Villa skipper to carefully place his shot past keeper Davis into the bottom left corner.
Buoyed by the goal, Villa nearly grabbed a second before the interval when Milner’s cross deflected off Collins and struck the foot of the post before it rebounded off the keeper and hit the post again before Sunderland could clear the danger.
Despite having Collins’ effort from a rare corner hacked off the line by skipper Barry just after the break, the Black Cats were soon on the rack again as the impressive Milner - on loan from Newcastle and booed by the away fans - shot over.
Another good move led to Barry and Milner teeing up Steven Davis, who rattled Sorensen’s left-hand post with a fierce drive but Gavin McCann fired the rebound wide.
Villa finally had the chance to make the game safe when lively substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor, on for Phillips, was scythed down by Breen.
Barry’s firmly-struck spot-kick was well saved by Davis low to his left but Villa’s pressure finally told from the resulting corner.
Ridgewell’s initial header brought another good save by Davis but the England Under-21 man made no mistake with another header when the ball fell to him seconds later.
Sorensen was able to take a back seat for much of the game but was briefly called into action when Nyron Nosworthy’s mis-hit shot fell kindly to Daryl Murphy, whose shot was well held by the Villa keeper.
The Dane had no chance when Collins’ firm header from Dean Whitehead’s corner gave the Black Cats a late consolation goal.
However, it was too little, too late for Sunderland - and their season.
Aston Villa manager David O’Leary:
“We should have won by more goals - with the movement and passing, we should have been well ahead and the first goal summed that up.
“I thought it would be a good game to end the season with, as you would have two teams having a go at each other.
“But we haven’t taken enough points here, although we’ve done well on the road. We didn’t put our chances away.”
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)