Game #5207
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Attendance: 24,102
Won
Premier League
17th (+1)
Reading
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
Madejski Stadium
Villa win for the second time in 2013 and for the sixth Premier League game in twenty nine under Paul Lambert as they overcome second from bottom side Reading.
Reading
1-2
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Andreas Weimann | 33’ |
KEY MAN
Christian Benteke celebrates his twelfth of the season as Villa win for the second time in 2013 and sixth time in twenty nine Premier League games under Paul Lambert, Saturday, 9 March 2013.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🟨 | 10’ Booking, Matt Lowton
🥅 | 31’ Goal, 0-1, (Reading), Nathan Baker o.g.
⚽ | 33’ Goal, 1-1, Christian Benteke, Assist by Andreas Weimann
⚽ | 45’ Goal, 2-1, Gabriel Agbonlahor
🕒 | HT Reading 1-2 Aston Villa
🟨 | 67’ Booking, Christian Benteke
🔁 | 71’ Sub off, Barry Bannan, Sub on, Charles N’Zogbia
🔁 | 79’ Sub off, Nathan Baker, Sub on, Joe Bennett
🟨 | 85’ Booking, Ashley Westwood
🕒 | FT Reading 1-2 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
Paul Lambert's Villa record their sixth win of the season and second in three games to climb out of the bottom three to 17th place as they overcome second from bottom Reading with rock bottom club Queens Park Rangers up next in a critical period for Villa's Premier League survival.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Reading
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Reading
Previous 5 vs. Reading: 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2012-13 |
Matchday | #37 |
League Game | #29 |
Manager Game | #37 |
Saturday, 9 March 2013
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Paul Lambert | 🏴 | Glasgow, 2012-2015
Referee: Jonathan Moss | 🏴 | West Riding, 2005-2022
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Jonathan Moss | 🏴 | West Riding, 2005-2022
Previous 5: 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 5 Jan 13, Villa 2-1 Ipswich (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Darren England, Harry Lennard
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
Paul Lambert continues to prefer Brad Guzan in goal over Shay Given as Ron Vlaar, Yacouba Sylla (first start) and Barry Bannan replace Fabian Delph (suspended), Joe Bennett and Charles N’Zogbia.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.06 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 | 28.52 |
Youngest Player |
F Andreas Weimann | 🇦🇹 | 21.61 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Paul Lambert | 🏴 |
Brian McDermott | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
CB Ron Vlaar | 🇳🇱 |
CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CB Ciaran Clark | 🇮🇪 |
RB Matt Lowton | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Yacouba Sylla | 🇲🇱 |
M Ashley Westwood | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Barry Bannan | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Christian Benteke | 🇧🇪 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
F Andreas Weimann | 🇦🇹 | 🔥 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | ⚽ |
Reading
GK Stuart Taylor (ex) | 🏴 |
LB Ian Harte | 🇮🇪 |
CB Alex Pearce | 🇮🇪 |
CB Adrian Mariappa | 🇯🇲 |
RB Stephen Kelly | 🇮🇪 |
M Mikel Leigertwood | 🇦🇬 | 🔁 |
M Hope Akpan | 🇳🇬 | 🔁 |
W Jobi McAnuff | 🇯🇲 | 🟨 |
CF Adam Le Fondre | 🏴 |
CF Noel Hunt | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 | 🔁 |
CF Hal Robson-Kanu | 🏴 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 W Charles N’Zogbia | 🇫🇷 | for M Barry Bannan | 🏴 | 71’ |
🔁 LB Joe Bennett | 🏴 | for CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 | 79’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Mikel Leigertwood | 🇦🇬 | (M Danny Guthrie | 🏴 |)
🔁 | M Hope Akpan | 🇳🇬 | (CF Nick Blackman | 🇧🇧 |)
🔁 | CF Noel Hunt | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 | (W Garath McCleary | 🇯🇲 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Shay Given | 🇮🇪 |
M Samir Carruthers | 🇮🇪 |
W Brett Holman | 🇦🇺 |
F Jordan Bowery | 🏴 |
F Simon Dawkins | 🇯🇲 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Jon Henly | 🏴 |
CB Sean Morrison | 🏴 |
LB Nicky Shorey (ex) | 🏴 |
M Jem Karacan | 🇹🇷 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI: £32.59m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Homegrown: 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/18
Homegrown: 6/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Team Cost: £10.18m
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 6 |
CB Richard Dunne | 🇮🇪 |
M Gary Gardner | 🏴 |
W Marc Albrighton | 🏴 |
M Chris Herd | 🇦🇺 |
CF Darren Bent | 🏴 |
M Karim El Ahmadi | 🇲🇦 |
Illness | 1 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
Suspension | 1 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
Bomb Squad | 1 |
M Stephen Ireland | 🇮🇪 |
Out on Loan | 3 |
M Jean Makoun | 🇨🇲 | Stade Rennais
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 | Blackpool
RB Alan Hutton | 🏴 | Mallorca
UNAVAILABLE
Not Reported
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 | 54%
Possession A | 46%
Shots F | 18
Shots A | 10
Shots on Target F | 7
Shots on Target A | 4
Corners F | 1
Corners A | 6
Fouls F | 7
Fouls A | 8
TABLE

PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"This was a crucial result for Villa, whose last away win came on 15 December at Anfield and who had won just one of their previous 11 matches."
*BBC Sport*
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Aston Villa breathed new life into their Premier League survival bid, coming from behind at Reading to snatch only their second league win of 2013.
Gabriel Agbonlahor’s thunderous volley on half-time lifts Paul Lambert’s side three points clear of the bottom three, with nine league games remaining.
Reading had snatched the lead after 31 minutes when Villa defender Nathan Baker sliced beyond his own goalkeeper.
Christian Benteke hit back immediately, before Agbonlahor won it for Villa.
This was a crucial result for Villa, whose last away win came on 15 December at Anfield and who had won just one of their previous 11 matches.
But, having won this encounter, forthcoming home matches against Queens Park Rangers and Liverpool can be viewed with renewed hope.
For Reading, the outlook is altogether more bleak.
This was a fourth consecutive league defeat for Brian McDermott’s side and at the final whistle the frustration was evident among the home support.
The tension, on both sides, was apparent from the off as shots flew wide and passes went astray.
Andreas Weimann had the best of the early opportunities, only to shoot wide with the goal at his mercy, while Adam Le Fondre might have done better for Reading with a header at the back post.
The game burst into life shortly after the half-hour mark with two goals in a breathless 60-second period.
Reading struck first, snatching the lead when the unfortunate Baker turned Jobi McAnuff’s low cross into his own net but Benteke struck back immediately for Villa, his deflected shot beating goalkeeper Stuart Taylor after a delightful surge down the right by Weimann.
It was a moment that robbed the home faithful of their chance to celebrate and brought belief flooding back to Villa.
And as half-time approached, the visitors’ growing confidence produced another goal.
Agbonlahor gathered Taylor’s half-hearted clearance and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed shot that flashed into the goal from eight yards after Barry Bannan had diverted a shot onto the post.
The goal stunned Reading, who left the field to boos from their own supporters, but McDermott’s side never go down without a fight.
They had the ball in the net just before the hour mark - Noel Hunt turning McAnuff’s low cross into the net only for the linesman to flag for offside - and continued to push hard.
No Premier League team has conceded more in the second half of games than Villa - while Reading have scored more Premier League goals in the final 15 minutes than any other side.
The home side went close through Hal Robson-Kanu, whose left-foot shot fizzed narrowly wide, before Le Fondre failed to make the most of a chance to head at goal.
McDermott threw on substitutes Garath McCleary and Nick Blackman and Reading created two clear chances for Robson-Kanu. He side-footed the first wide from the penalty spot after controlling the ball on his chest and then headed straight at Guzan when perfectly picked out by McAnuff’s cross.
Blackman also went down in the area late on to spark penalty appeals from the Royals manager, while Agbonlahor might have wrapped up the points for Villa with a curled effort that drifted just wide.