|
By Ian Hughes
|
 Young scored 30 seconds from the end to give Aston Villa victory
|
Ashley Young scored an injury-time winner to shatter Everton, who had equalised only seconds earlier.
Steve Sidwell smashed in from 20 yards in the first minute but Joleon Lescott prodded home a deserved equaliser.
Marouane Fellaini had a header cleared off the line and hit the bar with another before Phil Jagielka's woeful backpass allowed Young to slot home.
Lescott scored with an acrobatic volley to bring Everton level again but Young snatched the points when he curled in.
It was a dramatic end to game that had started in equally thrilling fashion.
Villa went into the match on the back of two consecutive goalless draws in the league but it took only 31 seconds to ensure the run would not stretch to three games.
James Milner received the ball with his back to goal and laid it off to Sidwell, who smashed a ferocious, rising drive into the top corner from 20 yards.
 |
606: DEBATE
Avfc-prideofBrum
|
But instead of inspiring Villa to take control of the game, the goal had the opposite effect of stinging Everton into action.
The hosts impressively set about the task of getting back into the game - led by Leon Osman and Fellaini.
Osman set up Tim Cahill for a first time volley that Brad Friedel beat away at the near post before Fellaini tested the American keeper with a header.
And when Everton deservedly equalised it was Osman who nodded Mikel Arteta's free-kick into the path of Lescott, who prodded the ball in from close range.
Now dominating the game, Everton pressed for a second goal and they came close to getting it when Fellaini's looping header was cleared off the line by Carlos Cuellar.
Fellaini went even closer after the break when he thumped a header goalwards only to see Friedel somehow deflect it on to the bar.
But then Everton undid all their good work as a horrible lapse of concentration from Jagielka cost them dear.
The centre-back played a bind pass back to Tim Howard, straight into the path of Ashley Young, who raced on to the ball and clipped it into the corner of the net.
Having surrendered their advantage once in the game, Villa looked determined not to do it again as they defended with greater desire and spirit.
There was no longer the same zip about Everton's play and they were laboured in possession.
And while Villa were happy to camp in their own half, they were finding it easy to keep Everton at bay.
They might even have caught Everton with a sucker punch when Young broke on the counter, but the winger lost control of the ball when he tried to cut inside Joseph Yobo.
Everton piled forward as the clock ticked down, but it seemed they were to be foiled.
But when Jagielka headed back into the box, Osman nodded the ball on and Lescott scored with a flying volley that appeared to have salvaged a draw.
Yet there was time for it all to change again, and it was Lescott who was turned inside out by Young and the Villa man curled in a shot to steal victory.
Everton: Howard, Neville (Van der Meyde 84), Yobo, Jagielka,
Lescott, Osman, Fellaini, Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill,
Anichebe (Baines 86).
Subs Not Used: Nash, Castillo, Jutkiewicz, Gosling, Kissock.
Booked: Fellaini, Lescott.
Goals: Lescott 30, 90.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Laursen, Davies, Luke Young,
Sidwell, Petrov, Barry, Milner, Agbonlahor, Ashley Young.
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Knight, Reo-Coker,
Shorey, Gardner.
Booked: Luke Young.
Goals: Sidwell 1, Ashley Young 54, 90.
Att: 31,922
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Aston Villa's Ashley Young 8.44 (on 90 minutes).
• Please note that you can still give the players marks out of 10 on BBC Sport's Player Rater after the match has finished.
No comments:
Post a Comment