Villa boss Martin O'Neill disappointed at two points dropped against Wolves
Oct 26 2009 by Lisa Smith, Birmingham Post
Martin O’Neill admitted it had been a case of two points dropped in the derby with Black Country rivals Wolves after a late penalty shout enabled the hosts to seize a share of the spoils.
The Aston Villa manager had seen Gabriel Agbonlahor put Villa ahead as late as the 79th minute with his sixth strike of the season, but Sylvan Ebanks-Blake equalised four minutes later from the penalty spot with his first ever Barclays Premier League goal.
O’Neill admitted he was not happy with a point but accepted that wins away from home, and in derbies too, were not always certainties.
“On the face of it, it looks like two points dropped because we have got ourselves in front and conceded the penalty, but we are away from home,” he said.
“I take all responsibility for us at home but not all the onus is on us away.
“We still tried to play it and when things broke down in the second half we broke very quickly indeed.
“I am disappointed but I don’t think of it as playing against a lesser side.”
Villa were a totally different entity against Chelsea but the Villa boss insisted he had his team prepared for the game.
“I thought we were absolutely ready for the game,” he said before beginning preparations for tomorrow’s long trip to Sunderland for the third round of the Carling Cup.
“We have had a free week this week with no real distractions.
“We played a little game for some of the players who needed a little bit of football and Habibe Beye and Nicky Shorey got injured, but outside of that we were ready for the game and the boys were ready.
“If you’d have asked me, I thought we were just spot on.
“We wanted to get into our stride pretty quickly but it was a nothing first half for us.
“We couldn’t get it down and control it and I am not so sure that was all to do with the opposition.”
O’Neill was impressed with Mick McCarthy’s Wolves, who gave his side plenty of food for thought over the opening 45 minutes.
“Wolves were going to play strongly. The disappointment was after the two games we played against Manchester City and Chelsea,” he said.
“But I never felt this would be anything other than difficult. We were unable to impose ourselves in a manner and I wouldn’t want to read a lot into it other than we weren’t good enough.”
nRafael Benitez has revealed that it was only on the team coach going to Anfield that he decided to use Spanish striker Fernando Torres from the start against Manchester United.
The under-pressure Liverpool boss waited until the last moment before deciding Torres, who was struggling with a groin injury, could cope with a battle against the Barclays Premier League champions.
After the 2-0 win, Benitez said: “I talked with Fernando on the coach, and that was when I was really convinced that he could play.”
Defeat would have meant Liverpool’s worst run since 1953, when they were relegated from the top flight.
But Torres ensured a first win from five attempts by firing the opener.
