Game #5057
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Attendance: 18,595
Won
League Cup Semi Final
Semi Final
Blackburn Rovers
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟩
Ewood Park
James Milner strikes a superb winner to hand Villa the advantage against Blackburn ahead of the second leg of the League Cup semi final at Villa Park.
Blackburn Rovers
0-1
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Stewart Downing | 23' |
KEY MAN
James Milner celebrates his strike that gave Villa the advantage in the League Cup semi final 1st leg, Thursday, 14 January 2010.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
⚽ | 23’ Goal, 1-0, James Milner, Assist by Stewart Downing
🟨 | 39’ Booking, Gabriel Agbonlahor
🕒 | HT Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Aston Villa
🔁 | 71’ Sub off, Emile Heskey, Sub on, Steve Sidwell
🕒 | FT Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
James Milner strikes a typically fabulous goal to make it two wins in two against Blackburn and leave Villa in pole position for qualification for the League Cup final ahead of the second leg at Villa Park.
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
Previous 5 vs. Blackburn: 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2009-10 |
Matchday | #27 |
Manager Game | #165 |
Thursday, 14 January 2010
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Mark Clattenburg | 🏴 | Durham, 2000-2017
Kick off: 8.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mark Clattenburg | 🏴 | Durham, 2000-2017
Previous 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 7 Nov 09, Villa 5-1 Bolton (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Mick McDonough, John Flynn
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
James Milner, Stiliyan Petrov, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Richard Dunne replace Habib Bèye, Fabian Delph, Nathan Delfouneso and Nigel Reo-Coker.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 27.14 |
Oldest Player |
CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 | 32.03 |
Youngest Player |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 23.27 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Sam Allardyce | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
LB Stephen Warnock | 🏴 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 |
CB Richard Dunne | 🇮🇪 |
CB James Collins | 🏴 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 |
W Stewart Downing | 🏴 | 🔥 |
W James Milner | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🟨 |
Blackburn Rovers
GK Paul Robinson | 🏴 |
RB Lars Jacobsen | 🇩🇰 | 🔁 |
CB Christopher Samba | 🇨🇬 |
CB Ryan Nelsen | 🇳🇿 |
CB Pascal Chimbonda | 🇬🇵 |
RB Míchel Salgado | 🇪🇸 | 🔁 |
M David Dunn | 🏴 |
M Morten Gamst Pedersen | 🇳🇴 | 🔁 |
M Steven N’Zonzi | 🇫🇷 |
W Brett Emerton | 🇦🇺 |`
CF Nikola Kalinić | 🇭🇷 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 | for CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 | 71’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | RB Lars Jacobsen | 🇩🇰 | (LB Martin Olsson | 🇸🇪 |)
🔁 | RB Míchel Salgado | 🇪🇸 | (RB Steven Reid | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | M Morten Gamst Pedersen | 🇳🇴 | (CF Benni McCarthy | 🇿🇦 | 🟨 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Jason Brown | 🏴 |
CB Phil Jones | 🏴 |
W Junior Hoilett | 🇨🇦 |
CF Franco Di Santo | 🇦🇷 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Homegrown: 1/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/18
Homegrown: 1/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 2/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 4/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 1 |
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 |
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
Possession F | 55%
Possession A | 45%
Shots F | 13
Shots A | 8
Shots on Target F | 9
Shots on Target A | 2
Corners F | 13
Corners A | 9
Fouls F | 5
Fouls A | 11
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It could have been better, but we would have accepted coming to Ewood Park and winning the game.
“Gabby Agbonlahor was booked for diving when it was a penalty, then there was a handball by them and the free-kick went the other way.
“They’re major decisions because it gave some relief to Blackburn and they came out strongly in second half.
“The tie itself is in the balance.
“I thought we played splendidly considering we were playing away from home.
“It was a great goal scored by a great player, but I must stress that the tie is still in the balance.
“Blackburn are more than capable of coming to Villa Park and getting a result.”
Martin O’Neill.
---
“I spoke to the ref at half-time and he thought I’d dived, but TV showed it to be a penalty.
“Maybe next time I’ll get one that I don’t deserve. It was a mistake (by the referee), but you just get on with it.”
Gabby Agbonlahor.
*BBC Sport*
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Aston Villa took a giant stride towards Wembley as James Milner’s first-half goal gave them victory in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Blackburn Rovers.
Milner rounded off a devastating break after 23 minutes when he turned in Stewart Downing’s cross as Villa swept the length of the field.
It gave Martin O’Neill’s side a deserved advantage and provided a rich reward for Villa’s attacking strategy as they dominated a jaded Blackburn side playing their second game this week.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce felt the full force of Ewood Park’s fury as his side laboured to make any impression on Villa in the early exchanges, with the half-time whistle being greeted by a chorus of jeering.
But Blackburn improved hugely after the break only to find their luck was out as striker Nikola Kalinic twice hit the woodwork, firstly with a close-range header, then with a shot from 12 yards.
Villa always carried the greater threat and will now be firm favourites to progress to a Carling Cup final date against either Manchester City or Manchester United, after Wednesday’s second leg at Villa Park.
Blackburn’s winless sequence now stretches to 12 games, although they did knock Chelsea out of this competition on penalties.
But it is hard to see how they will turn this semi-final around on the evidence of current form.
That would leave Allardyce and Blackburn with a fight for Premier League survival as their only goal for the rest of the season, a task to be played out in front of what appears to be an increasingly disenchanted Ewood Park public.
Allardyce employed Kalinic as a lone striker from the start - but he was knocking at a firmly closed door for long periods as he attempted to get the better of Villa’s central defensive duo, Richard Dunne and James Collins.
Blackburn’s best moment of a frustrating opening half came after just three minutes, when David Dunn’s shot on the turn was only inches off target with Villa keeper Brad Guzan - in for the rested Brad Friedel - beaten.
Villa boss O’Neill had demonstrated his attacking intent by supporting Emile Heskey with the pace and width provided by Milner, Downing, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
And the ploy paid off to perfection after 23 minutes when Milner concluded a sweeping Villa move that caught Blackburn on the break, turning Downing’s cross beyond the reach of Paul Robinson at the near post.
Agbonlahor then thought he should have had a penalty when he was tripped by Christopher Samba.
It looked like he had a case but referee Mark Clattenburg not only ignored his appeals, but added insult to injury by booking the Villa striker.
Ewood Park was becoming an increasingly discontented place, with Allardyce the target for chants of “Big Sam Sort It Out” when Morten Gamst Pedersen placed a cross hopelessly into the travelling band of Villa supporters.
Robinson kept Blackburn in contention on the stroke of half-time, when he saved superbly down at his near post from Stiliyan Petrov’s shot.
The reaction of Blackburn’s fans as the whistle sounded for the interval told the tale of their satisfaction - and underlined the supremacy enjoyed by Villa.
Villa should have added a second in the opening moments of the second half when Young’s cross flew right across the face of Blackburn’s goal, with Agbonlahor just unable to add the finishing touch.
Blackburn finally broke the shackles when Kalinic rose to beat Dunne to Pedersen’s cross, but could only direct his header against an upright from eight yards.
It was a passage of play that at least gave Blackburn’s suffering supporters hope and Dunn provided further encouragement when he pulled a presentable chance wide from Pascal Chimbonda’s knockdown.
Kalinic’s luck was out again after 65 minutes, when the woodwork came to Villa’s rescue once more as the striker met Chimbonda’s cross with a crisp first-time shot.
Suddenly it was Villa’s turn to be forced on to the back foot as Blackburn’s effort to draw level gathered momentum.
Blackburn, however, always remained vulnerable to the Villa counter-attack, and Young reminded them of the threat when he burst into the penalty area but shot wide.
Both sides had chances in stoppage time, with Robinson saving well from Agbonlahor and Steven Nzonzi heading over - and the celebrations of the Villa fans at the final whistle suggested that they feel they have completed the most difficult part of their mission to return to Wembley.