Game #5207
Aston Villa

Saturday, 9 March 2013
17th (+1)
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
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 | 🏴 | ⚽ |
Paul Lambert | 🏴 | 2012-2015

Substitutes:
🔁 W Charles N’Zogbia | 🇫🇷 | for M Barry Bannan | 🏴 | 71’ |
🔁 LB Joe Bennett | 🏴 | for CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 | 79’ |
Unused Substitutes:
GK Shay Given | 🇮🇪 |
M Samir Carruthers | 🇮🇪 |
W Brett Holman | 🇦🇺 |
F Jordan Bowery | 🏴 |
F Simon Dawkins | 🇯🇲 |
🟨 Matt Lowton
🟨 Christian Benteke
🟨 Ashley Westwood
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Matchday Squad:
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
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.
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.06 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 | 28.52 |
Youngest Player |
F Andreas Weimann | 🇦🇹 | 21.61 |
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.
Christian Benteke secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 31st appearances (29 Starts) to make it W10 D8 L13, 16 Goals, 7 Assists and 6 Bookings.
Nathan Baker secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 34th appearance (31 Starts) to make it W10 D7 L17, 3 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.
Ciaran Clark secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 78th appearance (72 Starts) to make it W25 D21 L32, 7 Goals, 3 Assists and 20 Bookings so far in his Villa career. Clark has now picked up a booking every 3.90 games he has played.
Andreas Weimann contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 46th appearance (27 Starts) to make it W17 D14 L15, 12 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.
Ashley Westwood collects his 1st booking in a Villa shirt on his 22nd appearance (20 Starts) to make it W6 D6 L10, 3 Assists and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.
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.
Scorer(s) | Christian Benteke | 33’ | Gabriel Agbonlahor | 45’ |
Assist(s) | Andreas Weimann | 33’ |
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
Season | 2012-13 |
Matchday | #37 |
League Game | #29 |
Manager Game | #37 |
Saturday, 9 March 2013

Manager: Paul Lambert | 🏴 | Glasgow, 2012-2015
Referee: Jonathan Moss | 🏴 | West Riding, 2011-2022
Kick off: 3.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩
Referee: Jonathan Moss | 🏴 | West Riding, 2011-2022
Assistants: Darren England, Harry Lennard
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
Debut Appearances:
None
Final Appearances:
None
Paul Lambert | 🏴 | 2012-2015
🕒 37 | 🟩 | 12 🟨 | 9 🟥 16 | 1.22
Villa Career Form:
Mid Table
Referee:
Referee: Jonathan Moss | 🏴 | West Riding, 2011-2022
🕒 7 | 🟩 4 | 🟨 0 | 🟥 3 | 🆘 : 2
🕒 7 | 🟩 57% | 🟨 0% | 🟥 43% | 🆘 : 29%
Cards 🟨 16 | 🟥 1 | 2.43 |
Penalty ⚽ 1 | 🥅 3 |
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟩
VAR (from 2021)
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Sub 5
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Premier League
Reading

Madejski Stadium
Attendance: 24,102
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 | 🏴 |
Brian McDermott | 🏴 |

Substitutes:
🔁 | M Mikel Leigertwood | 🇦🇬 | (M Danny Guthrie | 🏴 |)
🔁 | M Hope Akpan | 🇳🇬 | (CF Nick Blackman | 🇧🇧 |)
🔁 | CF Noel Hunt | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 | (W Garath McCleary | 🇯🇲 |)
Unused Substitutes:
GK Jon Henly | 🏴 |
CB Sean Morrison | 🏴 |
LB Nicky Shorey (ex) | 🏴 |
M Jem Karacan | 🇹🇷 |
🟨 Jobi McAnuff
🟨 Noel Hunt
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
Matchday Squad:
Not Reported

"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."
