Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2 - Post analysis

Mar 16 2009 by Mat Kendrick

Aston Villa 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2

It says it all about the mood at Villa Park yesterday afternoon that a manager who has jeopardised his legendary status lately by making unpopular decisions was apoplectic following a call that everybody agreed with.

Failing to significantly strengthen in January, forfeiting the Uefa Cup and escorting Aston Villa’s public enemy No.1 Harry Redknapp down the touchline will all have upset sections of the claret and blue faithful.

However, it was Martin O’Neill’s unanimously accepted substitution of Gabriel Agbonlahor, the Holte End’s new scapegoat, which prompted a reaction that so succinctly sums up the festering disenchantment at Villa Park.

O’Neill was right to withdraw the England striker who, despite those new pink boots, has seen his self confidence plummet even lower than his recent goals return, which stands at just one in the past 16 league and cup games.

That a large and vocal section of Villa Park saw fit to greet his departure with almost as much gusto as his last goal was a worrying indictment of how a team of heroes seemingly destined for the Champions League has now lost its way.

For the Holte End to turn on one of its own is a much more alarming development for Villa than Arsenal’s ominous return to form, and fourth.

If Villa fail to get their own house in order then such a promising season will implode, regardless of the threat posed by Arsene Wenger’s men.

A depressing sequence of no wins in seven that has seen Villa tumble out of two competitions in a season during which 23 points have now been dropped at home has not only threatened to wreck Villa’s hopes of a top four finish it has also harmed the relationship with their frustrated fanbase.

O’Neill’s 24th birthday gift to Curtis Davies was to drop him after shaky displays against Stoke City and Manchester City, recalling Nigel Reo-Coker at right-back and switching Carlos Cuellar to centre-half.

Ashley Young was so mesmerising before the break that the unlucky player employed to stop him, Didier Zokora, had to be taken off for his own sanity after just half an hour after picking up a yellow card the only time he got near the Villa winger.

Sadly, while Young’s dazzling feet, including a sublime “nutmeg” on Zakora, lit up a packed Villa Park early on, he lacked the final ball of his Tottenham counterpart and fellow England hopeful Aaron Lennon, who played a part in both Spurs goals.

On countless occasions, Young tricked his way to the touchline, only to fail to find the feet of a claret and blue team-mate, although Emile Heskey did toe poke wide from one of his deliveries, while Gareth Barry forced a fine save from Heurelho Gomes from his half-cleared cut-back.

Those opportunities aside and a looping Heskey header which bounced off the top of the crossbar on the stroke of half-time, Villa did not create the requisite number of clear cut chances that some of their aesthetically pleasing approach play deserved.

In a first period Villa dominated – despite Tottenham’s constant threat on the break – Barry had a half-hearted appeal for a penalty rejected after tumbling under Lennon’s challenge, while Petrov, who had earlier gone close with a rising drive, spurned a close range opportunity by rolling a backpass to Gomes after a rare link up between Agbonlahor and Heskey.

However, it was Spurs who looked the more dangerous in the penalty area from the moment they took the lead through their first foray forward on five minutes, Lennon bursting past Luke Young and providing a cross which was too hot to handle for Brad Friedel.

The American goalkeeper could only palm the ball to Jermaine Jenas, who reacted quicker than Zat Knight and Reo-Coker to bundle it in from close range.

Friedel kept the game alive with a fine save to thwart Luka Modric just before the interval, while the veteran went on to repel second-half strikes from Spurs pair, although he might have done better with both goals.

Lennon, who also flashed a fierce effort a foot over, was again the architect for Spurs’ second on 49 minutes, breezing into the box to tee up Wilson Palacios whose strike bounced back off Friedel before Keane’s crosshot towards the far post was forced in by Bent.

O’Neill reacted by replacing Knight with John Carew, a tactical switch which baffled many of the home supporters, particularly when Reo-Coker temporarily ended up at centre-half, before moving to left-back with Luke Young in the middle and James Milner at right-back.

However, a large section of the Villa Park faithful did agree with the manager’s decision to substitute Agbonlahor on 79 minutes, so much so that it produced the second loudest cheer – after Carew’s late consolation – of the afternoon.

Scorers: Jenas (5) 0-1, Bent (49) 0-2, Carew (85) 1-2.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; Reo-Coker, Knight (Carew, 60), Cuellar, L Young; Milner, Petrov, Barry, A Young; Heskey (Gardner, 82), Agbonlahor (Delfouneso, 79). Substitutes: Guzan, Harewood, Davies, Shorey.
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Gomes; Zokora (Corluka, 35), King, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Jenas, Palacios, Modric (O’Hara, 82); Bent, Keane. Substitutes: Cudicini, Bentley, Huddlestone, Pavlyuchenko, Dawson.
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent).
Bookings: Villa – Reo-Coker (foul); Tottenham – Zakora (foul), Keane (unsporting behaviour).
Attendance: 41,205.