Game #5213
Aston Villa
Monday, 29 April 2013
Won
16th (+1)
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟩
Premier League
Attendance: 37,428
Sunderland
Villa Park
Aston Villa
6-1
Sunderland
Assist(s) | Matt Lowton | 38’ | Ashley Westwood | 60’ |
MATCH SUMMARY
Villa deliver one of the most important wins in their history as they score more than three goals in a game for the first time under Paul Lambert. Any win however would have been celebrated as Villa built crucial breathing space above the relegation zone with three to play - a welcome outcome that was only tempered slightly by the fact that Villa should never have been allowed to be there in the first place but for boardroom stasis refusing to act on Lambert's awful tenure.
KEY MAN
Gabby Agbonlahor celebrates his 60th Premier League goal - breaking Dwight Yorke's record - as a Christian Benteke hat-trick beats Sunderland to lift Paul Lambert's side clear of relegation with three to play, Monday, 29 April 2013.
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MATCH TIMELINE
Monday, 29 April 2013
⚽ | 31’ Goal, 1-0, Ron Vlaar
🥅 | 32’ Goal, 1-1, (Sunderland), Danny Rose
⚽ | 38’ Goal, 2-1, Andreas Weimann, Assist by Matt Lowton
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
⚽ | 55’ Goal, 3-1, Christian Benteke, Assist by Gabriel Agbonlahor
⚽ | 59’ Goal, 4-1, Christian Benteke, Assist by Ashley Westwood
🟥 | 70’ Sending off, (Sunderland), Stéphane Sessègnon
⚽ | 72’ Goal, 5-1, Christian Benteke
⚽ | 78’ Goal, 6-1, Gabriel Agbonlahor
🔁 | 79’ Sub off, Christian Benteke, Sub on, Darren Bent
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 6-1 Sunderland
ON THIS DAY
Paul Lambert's Villa record their biggest win of the season as Christian Benteke became Villa's highest scorer in a single Premier League season with 18 goals. If Villa's victory at Stoke was their biggest in decades, the game against Sunderland was the biggest pressure release valve in B6 seen for many a year. Villa's win lifted them to 16th in the table five points clear of the relegation places with three games left to play. As a result the final relegation place was between Wigan, Newcastle, Sunderland and Villa.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Sunderland
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: 1972-73
FIXTURE HISTORY
Sunderland
Previous 5 vs. Sunderland: 🟥 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2012-13 |
Matchday | #43 |
League Game | #35 |
Manager Game | #43 |
Monday, 29 April 2013
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Paul Lambert | 🏴 | Glasgow, 2012-2015
Referee: Lee Probert | 🏴 | Wiltshire, 2003-2019
Kick off: 8.00pm
HT Score: 🟩 2-1
FT Score: 🟩 6-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟩
MANAGERIAL RECORD
Paul Lambert | 🏴 |
GAMES | WINS | DRAWS | LOSSES | POINTS PER GAME
🕒 43 | 🟩 | 15 🟨 | 10 🟥 18 | 1.28
Villa Career Form:
Mid Table
Paul Lambert | 🏴 |
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Lee Probert | 🏴 | Wiltshire, 2003-2019
Previous 5: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 19 Jan 13, Villa 2-2 Albion (a)
Cards: 🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: John Brooks, Jake Collin
Lee Probert
CARDS
Villa
None
Sunderland
🟥 🟨 🟨 🟨
TEAM NEWS
Yacouba Sylla replaces Charles N'Zogbia.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 24.15 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 | 28.65 |
Youngest Player |
F Andreas Weimann | 🇦🇹 | 21.75 |
MANAGER
Paul Lambert | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
LB Joe Bennett | 🏴 |
CB Ron Vlaar | 🇳🇱 | ⚽ |
CB Nathan Baker | 🏴 |
RB Matt Lowton | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M Yacouba Sylla | 🇲🇱 |
M Ashley Westwood | 🏴 | 🔥 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
CF Christian Benteke | 🇧🇪 | ⚽ | ⚽ | ⚽ |
F Andreas Weimann | 🇦🇹 | ⚽ |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 | 🔥 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
MANAGER
Paolo Di Canio | 🇮🇹 |
Sunderland
GK Simon Mingolet | 🇧🇪 |
LB Danny Rose | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🟨 |
CB John O’Shea | 🇮🇪 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar (ex) | 🇪🇸 | 🟨 |
RB Phil Bardsley (ex) | 🏴 | 🟨 |
M Alfred N’Diaye | 🇸🇳 |
M Sebastian Larsson | 🇸🇪 | 🔁 |
M Craig Gardner (ex) | 🏴 | 🔁 |
M Adam Johnson | 🏴 |
M Stéphane Sessègnon | 🇧🇯 | 🟥 |
CF Danny Graham | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 F Darren Bent | 🏴 | for CF Christian Benteke | 🇧🇪 | 79’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Sebastian Larsson | 🇸🇪 | (W James McClean | 🇮🇪 |)
🔁 | M Craig Gardner (ex) | 🏴 | (M David Vaughan | 🏴 |)
🔁 | CF Danny Graham | 🏴 | (CF Mikael Mandron | 🇫🇷 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Shay Given | 🇮🇪 |
RB Eric Lichaj | 🇺🇸 |
M Barry Bannan | 🏴 |
W Brett Holman | 🇦🇺 |
W Charles N’Zogbia | 🇫🇷 |
F Jordan Bowery | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Kieren Westwood | 🇮🇪 |
CB Kader Mangane | 🇸🇳 |
CB Matthew Kilgallon | 🏴 |
M Jack Colback | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI: £50.77m
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Homegrown: 3/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/18
Homegrown: 5/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
Team Cost: £42.70m
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 6 |
CB Richard Dunne | 🇮🇪 |
M Gary Gardner | 🏴 |
W Marc Albrighton | 🏴 |
M Chris Herd | 🇦🇺 |
CB Ciaran Clark | 🇮🇪 |
M Karim El Ahmadi | 🇲🇦 |
Illness | 1 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
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 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 | 54%
Possession A | 46%
Shots F | 18
Shots A | 7
Shots on Target F | 15
Shots on Target A | 4
Corners F | 4
Corners A | 4
Fouls F | 10
Fouls A | 15
LEAGUE TABLE
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
MATCHDAY QUOTES
"The positive attitude of both sides was to be admired, if not their defending, and Villa were back in front seven minutes before the interval."
*BBC Sport*
Monday, 29 April 2013
*Christian Benteke’s second-half hat-trick lifted Aston Villa’s hopes of Premier League survival and brought Sunderland’s revival under new manager Paolo Di Canio to an abrupt halt as the Black Cats were thrashed at Villa Park.*
Di Canio described this vital meeting of the strugglers as Sunderland’s “Champions League Final” - but it turned into a nightmare as they were dragged right back into the relegation fight along with north-east neighbours Newcastle.
The home victory, and emphatic winning margin, also made it a bad night for Wigan as they now lie five points adrift of Villa, albeit with a game in hand.
Villa’s goals, coupled with Newcastle’s 6-0 home defeat by Liverpool also mean the Midlanders leapfrog Alan Pardew’s side on goal difference.
And to make matters worse for Sunderland, the influential Stephane Sessegnon was given a straight red card in the second half for a challenge on Yacouba Sylla, prematurely ending his season at this vital time.
Ron Vlaar’s thumping shot gave Villa the lead on the half-hour only for Danny Rose to equalise almost instantly for Sunderland.
Andreas Weimann restored Villa’s advantage before half-time to set the stage for the powerful Benteke to demonstrate once more the quality that has made him such an outstanding purchase by manager Paul Lambert following his £7m summer arrival from Belgian side Genk.
The 22-year-old striker tormented the Sunderland defence with a 17-minute hat-trick and Gabriel Agbonlahor added further polish to Villa’s goal difference with the sixth two minutes from time.
The joy around Villa Park at the final whistle in recognition of this crucial win was in sharp contrast to the desolation of Di Canio and his players.
A rainstorm was slanting across Villa Park as a frenetic first half unfolded, with Villa creating the first clear opening as Agbonlahor rolled his effort inches wide after a slick exchange with Benteke.
When the first goal arrived after 31 minutes, it came from an unlikely source. Sunderland struggled to clear under sustained Villa pressure and when the ball came to Vlaar 25 yards out, the powerful defender sent a low drive beyond the grasp of keeper Simon Mignolet with the help of a slight deflection off Carlos Cuellar.
Villa barely had time to celebrate before the visitors were level. Rose, as he had done previously, moved forward at speed and took Danny Graham’s pass perfectly in his stride before sending a composed finish past Brad Guzan.
The positive attitude of both sides was to be admired, if not their defending, and Villa were back in front seven minutes before the interval.
Sunderland were caught short at the back as Villa struck on the counter-attack, Matthew Lowton’s perfect pass inviting a superb first-time touch and finish from Weimann.
The second half belonged to Benteke as he took Sunderland’s defence apart and may just have opened up the route to safety for Villa.
He scored his first 10 minutes after the restart, stooping to head home after Mignolet had failed to deal convincingly with Agbonlahor’s shot.
He then demonstrated his power in the air with a towering far post header from Ashley Westwood’s corner.
The early good impression the Black Cats have made under Di Canio’s guidance had been replaced by a ragged, disjointed display. And it got even worse with 20 minutes left when Sessegnon was shown a red card for leaving his foot in on Sylla.
It was turning into a dreadful night for Di Canio and and Benteke was the tormentor-in-chief. He scored his third with 18 minutes left, collecting another deflection off Cuellar to fire in from the angle.
Benteke’s name rang around Villa Park and he was given a deserved standing ovation - and a flamboyant embrace from Lambert - when he was replaced by former Sunderland striker Darren Bent late on.
With Sunderland in complete disarray, Agbonlahor got the goal his industry and endeavour deserved as he raced clear to round Mignolet and complete the almost perfect night for Aston Villa.
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)