Game #5080
Aston Villa
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Won
5th (+1)
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟩
Premier League
Attendance: 42,788
Birmingham City
Villa Park
Villa's run continues as they win a third consecutive game, their fourth in five and now have one defeat in fifteen Premier League matches as they make it six successive wins against neighbours Birmingham and climb to 5th in the Premier League with two games left to play and a top six spot for the third successive season in the bag.
Aston Villa
1-0
Birmingham City
Assist(s) | Gabriel Agbonlahor | 83’ |
KEY MAN
James Milner scores from the spot to make it six wins in a row against Birmingham and just one defeat in fifteen Premier League games, Sunday, 25 April 2010.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
Sunday, 25 April 2010
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-0 Birmingham City
🟨 | 53’ Booking, Carlos Cuéllar
🔁 | 70’ Sub off, John Carew, Sub on, Emile Heskey
⚽ | 83’ Goal, 1-0, James Milner (pen)
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-0 Birmingham City
ON THIS DAY
Villa make it three consecutive wins, and a fourth win in five games with just one defeat in the last sixteen to move up one to 5th place in the Premier League keeping a top four finish in sight with two games left to play.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Birmingham City
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: 🏆
Last Trophy: 1962-63
FIXTURE HISTORY
Birmingham City
Previous 5 vs. Birmingham: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2009-10 |
Matchday | #50 |
League Game | #36 |
Manager Game | #188 |
Sunday, 25 April 2010
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Martin Atkinson | 🏴 | West Riding, 2003-2022
Kick off: 12.00pm
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Score: 🟩 1-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟩
MANAGERIAL RECORD
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 188 | 🟩 | 80 🟨 | 60 🟥 48 | 1.60
Career Form:
Top 6
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Martin Atkinson | 🏴 | West Riding, 2003-2022
Previous 5: 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 14 Apr 10, Villa 2-2, Everton (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: John Flynn, Jake Collin
Martin Atkinson
CARDS
Villa
🟨
Birmingham City
🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
TEAM NEWS
Martin O'Neill names an unchanged line up for the fourth successive game.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 28.48 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 38.96 |
Youngest Player |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 23.55 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Alex McLeish | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Stephen Warnock | 🏴 |
CB James Collins | 🏴 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 | 🟨 |
CB Richard Dunne | 🇮🇪 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 |
W Stewart Downing | 🏴 |
W James Milner | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | 🔁 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 |
Birmingham City
GK Joe Hart | 🏴 |
RB Stephen Carr | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 |
CB Liam Ridgewell (ex) | 🏴 |
CB Roger Johnson | 🏴 | 🟨 |
LB Grégory Vignal | 🇫🇷 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Lee Bowyer | 🏴 |
M Barry Ferguson | 🏴 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
M Sebastian Larsson | 🇸🇪 |
M Craig Gardner (ex) | 🏴 | 🔁 |
F James McFadden | 🏴 |
CF Cameron Jerome | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 | for CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | 70’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | LB Grégory Vignal | 🇫🇷 | (RB Stuart Parnaby | 🏴 |)
🔁 | M Barry Ferguson | 🏴 | (M Keith Fahey (yth) | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | M Craig Gardner (ex) | 🏴 | (F Kevin Phillips (ex) | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 |
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Maik Taylor | 🇬🇧 |
M Michel | 🇪🇸 |
M Teemu Tainio | 🇫🇮 |
CF Christian Benítez | 🇪🇨 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Homegrown: 1/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/18
Homegrown: 2/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 2 |
CB Curtis Davies | 🏴 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
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
Possession F | 52%
Possession A | 48%
Shots F | 10
Shots A | 16
Shots on Target F | 6
Shots on Target A | 14
Corners F | 7
Corners A | 5
Fouls F | 12
Fouls A | 16
TABLE
PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It’s a major victory for us.
“We hung in there all second half. We were second best for a good part of it, Birmingham were very strong in the second half.
“We had played midweek and the previous midweek as well but we hung in and it was a fantastic victory.
“Since the Chelsea debacle at Stamford Bridge (7-1 defeat) we’ve picked up 13 out of 15 points which shows you our staying power.
Martin O’Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Sunday, 25 April 2010
*A hotly disputed late penalty from James Milner took Villa level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham after an entertaining midlands derby.*
Roger Johnson appeared to win the ball in a challenge with Gabriel Agbonlahor but referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot and Milner smashed it home.
Birmingham had largely the better of the chances but found Villa keeper Brad Friedel in unstoppable form.
Villa sealed their third win in a week, their sixth in a row against the Blues.
Apart from the fierce local rivalry, of which there was clear evidence in the build-up as the fans traded insults, both sides had plenty to play for in their 100th league meeting in the top flight.
Villa were keen to pursue their quest for the Champions League on the back of Tottenham losing and Manchester City gaining just a point on Saturday.
Birmingham, meanwhile, were seeking to establish their highest points tally in the Premier League, although their recent form - with no victories from their last seven matches and six defeats from their last seven away games - did not bode well for their chances.
However, instead of producing a dour defensive approach they showed admirable intent in a surprisingly open game and had the first genuine chance as Lee Bowyer slipped a pass through for Sebastian Larsson.
Friedel set the tone for the afternoon, however, pushing him wide, and from an acute angle on the left side of the area, Larsson sliced horribly off target with his left foot.
The Birmingham midfielder soon floored Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov with a fiercely struck free-kick that caught the Bulgarian flush on the forehead.
Villa pressed but the visitors continued to have their fair share of chances, Cameron Jerome through on goal and only denied by the advancing Friedel, who hacked clear.
With Birmingham looking comfortable there followed two chances in quick succession for Villa, but Joe Hart, under the scrutiny of England coach Fabio Capello and his goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence, proved equal to the challenge.
Carlos Cuellar squared to Petrov, whose measured low first-time shot from 25 yards was tipped away by Hart, and the Manchester City keeper, on-loan for the remainder of the season, was alert to beat out a stinging drive from Stewart Downing after he found space and drove through on goal.
Still the goalkeepers remained on top, Friedel keeping out a well-struck long-range effort from former Villa man Craig Gardner that bounced just in front of him, while at the other end a first-time shot from James Collins eight yards out was superbly tipped over by Hart.
Birmingham started the second half brightly and seemed certain to break the deadlock in a remarkable passage of play.
An astute pass from Barry Ferguson found Jerome through on goal but evergreen Friedel, 39 next month, rushed out to smother the shot bravely with his body.
James McFadden collected the loose ball but his shot deflected fractionally wide, then from the resulting corner Liam Ridgewell rose on the edge of the six-yard box but the former Villa defender’s header was booted off the line by Downing on the post.
The chances continued for Birmingham and Bowyer saw a low left-footed shot somehow kept out by the redoubtable Friedel.
Villa introduced Emile Heskey and the England striker found himself through on goal but as he tried to lift over Hart the ball brushed the keeper and drifted wide.
But then came the key moment of the afternoon, which left Birmingham bewildered and incensed.
As Agbonlahor surged down the left side of the area Johnson slid in to tackle him, sending the striker sprawling in the process.
Referee Atkinson concluded it was a foul, a decision that caused an even greater split between the rival clubs.
*Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill:*
“It’s a major victory for us.
“We hung in there all second half. We were second best for a good part of it, Birmingham were very strong in the second half.
“We had played midweek and the previous midweek as well but we hung in and it was a fantastic victory.
“Since the Chelsea debacle at Stamford Bridge (7-1 defeat) we’ve picked up 13 out of 15 points which shows you our staying power.
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)