Game #5005
Aston Villa
10-5-4, 35 PTS

Friday, 26 December 2008
4th (-1)
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 |
CB Zat Knight | 🏴 | ⚽ |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 | 🟨 | 🔥 |
M Gareth Barry | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
W James Milner | 🏴 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🟨 |
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010

Substitutes
No Substitutions Made
Unused Substitutes
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
LB Nicky Shorey | 🏴 |
M Craig Gardner | 🏴 |
M Isaiah Osbourne | 🏴 |
M Moustapha Salifou | 🇹🇬 |
CF Marlon Harewood | 🏴 |
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
🟨 Gareth Barry (61)
⭐ Club Record
🟨 Gabriel Agbonlahor (9)
🟨 Nigel Reo-Coker (13)
🟨 Stiliyan Petrov (11)
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Matchday Squad
Unavailable
Not recorded
Team News
Nigel Reo-Coker and Zat Knight replace Martin Laursen and Carlos Cuéllar.
Team Stats
Starting XI Average Age
| 26.94 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 37.64 |
Youngest Player |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 22.22 |
Debut Appearances
None
Final Appearances
None
Scorer(s) | Gareth Barry | 65’ (pen) | Zat Knight | 90’+1 |
Assist(s) | Stiliyan Petrov | 90'+1 |
Match Timeline
🥅 | 40’ Goal, 0-1, (Arsenal), Denílson
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal
🥅 | 49’ Goal, 0-2, (Arsenal), Abou Diaby
⚽ | 65’ Goal, 1-2, Gareth Barry (pen)
🟨 | 72’ Booking, Gabriel Agbonlahor
🟨 | 77’ Booking, Nigel Reo-Coker
🟨 | 82’ Booking, Stiliyan Petrov
⚽ | 90’+1 Goal, 2-2, Zat Knight, Assist by Stiliyan Petrov
🟨 | 90’+4 Booking, Gareth Barry
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 2-2 Arsenal
Season | 2008-09 |
Matchday | #30 |
League Game | #19 |
Manager Game | #113 |
Friday, 26 December 2008

Match Record
Game Record
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Kick off: 5.15pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Score: 🟨 2-2
FT Result: 🟨 Drew
Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟨
Officials
Referee: Lee Mason | 🏴 | Bolton, 2006-2021
Match Stats
Possession F | 48%
Possession A | 52%
Shots F | 17
Shots A | 9
Shots on Target F | 6
Shots on Target A | 3
Corners F | 7
Corners A | 6
Fouls F | 11
Fouls A | 10
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 | 2006-2010
🕒 113 | 🟩 | 45 🟨 | 37 🟥 31 | 1.52
Villa Career Form:
Top 8

Premier League
Arsenal
9-5-5, 32 PTS

Villa Park
Attendance: 42,585
GK Manuel Almunia | 🇪🇸 |
LB Mikaël Silvestre | 🇫🇷 |
CB Kolo Touré | 🇨🇮 | 🟨 |
CB William Gallas | 🇫🇷 |
RB Bacary Sagna | 🇫🇷 |
RB Emmanuel Eboué | 🇨🇮 |
M Abou Diaby | 🇫🇷 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
M Samir Nasri | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
M Denílson | 🇧🇷 | ⚽ |
M Alex Song | 🇲🇱 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
CF Robin van Persie | 🇳🇱 | 🟨 |
Arsène Wenger | 🇫🇷 | (🤡)

Substitutes
🔁 | M Samir Nasri | 🇫🇷 | (LB Gaël Clichy | 🇫🇷 |)
🔁 | M Alex Song | 🇲🇱 | (M Aaron Ramsey | 🏴 |)
Unused Substitutes
GK Lukasz Fabiański | 🇵🇱 |
M Jack Wilshere | 🏴 |
CF Nicklas Bendtner | 🇩🇰 |
CF Carlos Vela | 🇲🇽 |
Yellow Cards (Warnings, Cautions, Bookings)
🟨 Kolo Touré
🟨 Abou Diaby
🟨 Alex Song
🟨 Robin van Persie
Red Cards (Ordered from Field of Play, Dismissals, Sendings Off)
None
Opposition Trophy Record
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 2004-05
Opposition Matchday Squad
Opposition Unavailable
Not Recorded

Starting XI
Match Media
On This Day
Villa hammer Arsenal for the second time this season but have to settle for a draw - needing Zat Knight's first goal for the club in injury time to equalise. Villa drop back to fourth, three points ahead of their opponents with a run of very winnable games against Hull, West Brom, Sunderland, Portsmouth and Wigan coming up as the excitement of a potential championship challenge continues to build.
Villa recover from going 2 goals down against the run of play to make it 7 games unbeaten under Maritn O'Neill, during which time they've recorded 4 wins, to sit 4th in the table at the half way stage of the Premier League season.
Zat Knight clinches the equaliser with his 2nd goal in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance (35 Starts) to make it W12 D14 L11, 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Booking and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.
What they Said
"We have improved in two years, there is no getting away from that.
"I think it's other football clubs' jobs and their duty to try and compete, especially if you have a decent home following and we have a decent home following. We're averaging 37,000-38,000 and the football club has a history. Therefore, why shouldn't it feel that it can be part of [the top four]? We shouldn't be thinking, 'Listen boys, you go and play in a little game of your own'.
"There's no point in me playing it down when it's plain that if we could win it would give us a major psychological boost.
"Those teams who have been up there for a number of years, I don't think they feel that five or six points [to make up] is an insurmountable task. For us, we feel we are fighting for every point. That win against West Ham [last Saturday] was massive for us. But, to put it in perspective, the other [so called top four] teams could go and accomplish that."
Martin O’Neill pre-match.
"I know how it works here [in England].
"At half-time the referee gets stick and in the second half every little 50-50 decision goes the other way. That's what happens. I waited at half-time to see what happened and I was not disappointed. There is nothing to explain more than that."
Arsène Wenger makes a fool of himself once again.
"Arsène Wenger has his own opinion. I think the referee must have seen at half‑time himself that the decision he gave when Gabby Agbonlahor was fouled wasn't the best one. John Robertson, I think, spoke to the referee. His words were that he asked him to explain the decision that Gabby didn't get. He only asked him to explain it and the referee chose not to give an answer."
Martin O’Neill responds.
"I thought we were absolutely outstanding in the first half.”
We could have been four of five goals in front — that's no exaggeration. Then we got rocked by the goal and lost our way a little bit. But I thought we were brilliant and came roaring back into it. We got the penalty and definitely deserved the equaliser. I think on our day we are a match for anyone."
Martin O’Neill.
“We are halfway now through the season and that is a great sign to be where we are. It puts a bit of pressure on teams below you if you do keep winning. We have won back-to-back away games. The critics can keep saying we are not up there near the top of the table on merit. But, if we can stay there until April, then people will start changing their minds.
"We don't mind not being taken seriously. It takes the pressure off. We will probably keep talking that way ourselves — at least we will in public, anyway. It is all right starting well and then dropping away but here we are, halfway through a season, and that shows the massive effort put in so far.
"We have picked up our form over the last six games and have gone shooting up the table. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Gareth Barry.
“We were magnificent right from the first whistle.
“We’re making a bit of progress but talk of top fours and championships hasn’t emanated from this club.
“The ability in the side augurs well for us but we have to keep the major players fit, and that’s all those lads who played today.
“The first goal they scored knocked us back, it took almost everything out of us, certainly just before half-time.
“They’ve gone and scored a second, and could have had a third.
“But we’re never finished, we battled on, got back into the game and the equalising goal at the last - we certainly deserved at least that.
“He’s [Zat Knight] had to wait a little while - we’ve got some outstanding centre-backs keeping him out of the side - and that was a big goal, he took it like a centre forward.”
Martin O'Neill.
*Zat Knight scored in injury-time as Villa hit back from 2-0 down to earn a draw to put them fourth in the table.*
Steve Sidwell, Curtis Davies and James Milner all struck the woodwork before Denilson slotted in Arsenal’s opener.
Gabriel Agbonlahor’s header was cleared off the line before Abou Diaby scored a superb breakaway goal for the second.
Robin van Persie hit the post before Gareth Barry pulled a goal back for Villa from the penalty spot and Knight rescued a point with a 12-yard drive.
It was an astonishing end to a remarkable match that swung wildly one way and then the other.
And while the hosts will be delighted to have secured a draw with a late, late equaliser they might also wonder how they did not virtually secure victory in the first half.
Villa’s first chance came from a corner, when Sidwell thumped a header against the near post and shortly after an unmarked Davies headed off target when he should have done better.
The one-way traffic continued when Luke Young shot from the edge of the box and the ball deflected off Mikael Silvestre before being tipped over by Manuel Almunia.
Next Gabriel Agbonlahor’s shot was well saved by Almunia and the follow-up effort from Sidwell was superbly blocked by William Gallas.
It seemed a matter of time before Villa’s onslaught would bring the breakthrough but when Milner slid in to poke goalwards at the near post, the ball came back off the post and into Almunia’s arms.
And Davies became the third Villa player to be denied by the frame of the goal when his hooked shot crashed against the bar.
Then as Arsenal made a rare foray into Villa territory, Nigel Reo-Coker hesitated in possession, which allowed Denilson to nip in, steal the ball and slide his shot home for the opener.
It was a stunning blow to Villa, and more frustration was to follow when Agbonlahor’s header looked destined to bring the equaliser but Bacary Sagna produced a breathtaking overhead kick to clear the ball off his goalline.
And, after the break, Arsenal delivered a hammer blow when Diaby broke from inside his own half, laid the ball off to Emmanuel Eboue, continued his run and smashed the ball in after collecting the return pass.
For the first time in the match, Arsenal looked fluent and they could have wrapped up the points when the ball fell to Van Persie in the box but the Dutchman cracked his shot against the post.
Eboue also had a chance to score Arsenal’s third but Davies made a terrific block to deny him.
Then at the other end, Sagna somehow nicked the ball off Ashley Young’s toes as he looked set to convert Sidwell’s cross.
Just when it seemed Villa would get nothing at all from the game, they won a penalty when Gallas upended Agbonlahor and Barry smashed in the resultant spot-kick.
Milner was then denied by Silvestre, who got in another vital block, as Villa pressed for a leveller.
And with time running out, the hosts earned their draw when Stiliyan Petrov’s cross fell to defender Knight and he rifled the ball in.