Game #4928
Saturday, 7 April 2007
Attendance: 24,211
Won
Premier League
13th (+1)
Blackburn Rovers
Last 5: 🟨 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩
Ewood Park
Villa win for the third time in twenty one games under Martin O'Neill as they win their third Premier League game in nine in 2007.
Blackburn Rovers
1-2
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Phil Bardsley | 34’ | Patrik Berger | 73’ |
KEY MAN
Patrik Berger celebrates his equaliser that sets Villa up for victory at Blackburn and their third Premier League win in nine under Martin O'Neill, Saturday, 7 April 2007.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🥅 | 24’ Goal, 0-1, (Blackburn Rovers, pen), Benni McCarthy
⚽ | 34’ Goal, 1-1, Patrik Berger, Assist by Phil Bardsley
🕒 | HT Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Aston Villa
💥 | 46’ Missed Penalty, Gareth Barry
⚽ | 73’ Goal, 2-1, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Assist by Patrik Berger
🔁 | 76’ Sub off, Shaun Maloney, Sub on, Gavin McCann
🔁 | 80’ Sub off, Phil Bardsley, Sub on, Aaron Hughes
🔁 | 84’ Sub off, Patrik Berger, Sub on, Steven Davis
🟨 | 90’+2 Booking, Stiliyan Petrov
🕒 | FT Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Villa win for only the second time in seven games but are now unbeaten in three - their best run since November - as a result Villa climb the table for the first time since February as they rise to 13th with 6 games to play.
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 | 2006-07 |
Matchday | #36 |
League Game | #32 |
Manager Game | #36 |
Saturday, 7 April 2007
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Martin Atkinson | 🏴 | West Riding, 2003-2022
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 1-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟨 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Martin Atkinson | 🏴 | West Riding, 2003-2022
Previous 5: 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥
Last Match: 🟥 14 Mar 07, Villa 0-1 Arsenal (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Martin Laursen, Patrik Berger, Craig Gardner, and Shaun Maloney replace John Carew, Ashley Young, Gary Cahill and Gavin McCann.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.69 |
Oldest Player |
W Patrik Berger | 🇨🇿 | 33.43 |
Youngest Player |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 | 20.38 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Mark Hughes | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Thomas Sörensen | 🇩🇰 |
RB Phil Bardsley | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🔁 |
RB Wilfred Bouma | 🇳🇱 |
CB Martin Laursen | 🇩🇰 |
CB Olof Mellberg | 🇸🇪 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 |
M Shaun Maloney | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 | 🟨 |
W Patrik Berger | 🇨🇿 | ⚽ | 🔥 | 🔁 |
CF Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | ⚽ |
Blackburn Rovers
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Stephen Warnock | 🏴 |
CB Ryan Nelsen | 🇳🇿 |
CB Aaron Mokoena | 🇿🇦 |
CB Christopher Samba | 🇨🇬 | 🟨 |
M Tugay Kerimoğlu | 🇹🇷 | 🔁 |
M Morten Gamst Pedersen | 🇳🇴 |
W Brett Emerton | 🇦🇺 |
W David Bentley | 🏴 |
CF Benni McCarthy | 🇿🇦 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
F Matt Derbyshire | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Gavin McCann | 🏴 | for M Shaun Maloney | 🏴 | 76’ |
🔁 LB Aaron Hughes | 🇬🇧 | for RB Phil Bardsley | 🏴 | 80’ |
🔁 M Steven Davis | 🇬🇧 | for W Patrik Berger | 🇨🇿 | 84’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Tugay Kerimoğlu | 🇹🇷 | (M David Dunn | 🏴 |)
🔁 | F Matt Derbyshire | 🏴 | (CF Shabani Nonda | 🇨🇩 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Stuart Taylor | 🏴 |
F Luke Moore | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Jason Brown | 🏴 |
CB Stéphane Henchoz | 🇨🇭 |
CF Jason Roberts | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Homegrown: 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 10/16
Homegrown: 5/16
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
“The goal he got against Everton gave him a big boost.
“The next day he signed a contract - and he deserved it. He is not the type of lad to sit back and think ‘I’ve done it’. He has lots to do of course but today he was superb.
“He took the goal brilliantly, just a little extra touch. It is never easy beating someone like Brad Friedel.”
Martin O’Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 7 April 2007
*Gabriel Agbonlahor grabbed a second-half winner as Aston Villa came from a goal down to take three crucial points at Ewood Park.*
Rovers went ahead with a Benni McCarthy penalty on 22 minutes after David Bardsley felled Morten Gamst Pedersen.
But Villa drew level nine minutes later as Patrik Berger cleverly clipped home Bardsley’s cross from the right.
Gareth Barry’s penalty was saved after the break but Agbonlahor struck on 72 minutes to give Villa maximum points.
Villa, who went into the game having claimed just one win in seven top-flight outings, came flying out of the blocks and pinned Rovers deep into their own half.
Their pressure nearly paid off when Shaun Maloney’s near-post corner needed to be headed clear by Pedersen on his own goalline in the second minute.
Blackburn responded with two weak efforts from David Bentley, who was recalled after suspension as the only change to the Rovers side which lost last week to Manchester United.
But against the run of play, the home side went ahead when Pedersen burst into the Villa penalty area and was chopped down by Bardsley.
Referee Martin Atkinson pointed the spot and McCarthy fired home for his 19th goal of the season in 43 appearances.
Villa made a quick response when Craig Gardner’s cross slid across the Rovers area, although no one was there to finish the chance off.
But they deservedly bagged an equaliser when Bardsley made up for his earlier error with an incisive ball into the box and veteran midfielder Berger cleverly guided it past Brad Friedel, who was making his 108th consecutive Rovers appearance.
The American stopper pulled off a great save moments later, however, when he blocked Barry’s shot after the England midfielder pulled the ball back on to his right-foot.
And Friedel produced more heroics a minute into the second half.
Ryan Nelsen handballed just inside the 18-yard box for the 11th penalty Rovers have conceded this season.
Friedel guessed correctly and dived to his left to push the shot to safety to deny Barry his 10th goal of the season.
That seemed to lift the hosts who looked the better side in the second period, perhaps knowing places were up for grabs for next week’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
But just as Rovers seemed set to push for a winner, they were undone by Berger’s through ball which enabled the electric Agbonlahor to burst forward and fire home.
Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen made a fabulous save to block Shabani Nonda’s header deep into injury time before Rovers were denied a penalty appeal for handball and then Bentley rattled the crossbar with a curling effort.
The final whistle could not have come quickly enough for Martin O’Neill’s side as Villa hang on by their fingertips for a crucial win that moves them further step away from the relegation zone.
*Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill on Gabriel Agbonlahor:*
“The goal he got against Everton gave him a big boost.
“The next day he signed a contract - and he deserved it. He is not the type of lad to sit back and think ‘I’ve done it’. He has lots to do of course but today he was superb.
“He took the goal brilliantly, just a little extra touch. It is never easy beating someone like Brad Friedel.”