Aston Villa clinch 5th place in EPL while beating Wolves 2-1
Aston Villa moved to the 5th place in the Premier League table after a 2-1 win over Wolves during their first game with Gerard Houllier as the club’s new manager. It was the Frenchman’s old prodigy, Emile Heskey, who came up with the winner with
just minutes from the end.
The first half saw Aston Villa come out strong and the away side seemed to have the measure of Wolves for most of the first 45 minutes. On the other hand, Wolves looked unsettled and more satisfied with sitting back and holding off the Villa challenge.
It was Stuart downing who got the match opener as he latched on to a good cross from the left flank while calmly slotting it into the far post. The first half ended with Villa in total control at 1-0 but the 2nd half seemed to be a quite different
story. The home side looked revived and came out with a new vigor and determination.
Wolves got an early free kick in the 2nd half and pumped the ball into the Villa area. One saw a spot of head tennis before Christopher Berra had a snap-shot from near the penalty spot. There wasn't much power behind it, though, and Brad Friedel
dived on the ball to save it easily enough.
Wolves were doing most of the attacking by then but they had to watch Villa on the break. Ashley Young was their furthest man forward and despite being surrounded by men wearing old gold, he got a low shot away. It was heading for the bottom corner of the
net but Marcus Hahnemann dived right to save it.
There was more menace from the home side and it was all hands to the pump in the Villa defense. Still, the ball broke to David Jones on the edge of the area and he tried his luck. But his shot took a deflection on its way to the goal and looped into the
grateful hands of Friedel, who got across his goal quickly.
The constant pressure finally paid off as Wolves eventually got their equalizer. It had been coming and perhaps the home side just needed a bit of luck. They certainly got it there... Matt Jarvis fired in an in-swinging cross from the left and with Kevin
Doyle unable to reach it, the ball sailed beyond him as well as Villa keeper Friedel and bounced straight into the net.
It was all Wolves from then on. The home side came forward again and it took a timely clearance at the near post to stop the ball from reaching Doyle. Villa were barely hanging on at that point. Finally, they ventured forward on a rare attack as Ashley made
space for a cross from the right but got far too much on it. As a result, it flew over Nigel Reo-Coker's head and out for a goal-kick.
Villa made a change which was hardly surprising, seeing how the second half had gone for them. Marc Albrighton was off while Gabriel Agbonlahor was in with about 23 minutes remaining. Villa threatened on the break, once again through Young, although, a much
better end-product this time. Hahnemann needed to get a fingertip to his fizzing shot to tip it over the bar.
Wolves had more defending to do and this time it was Jody Craddock, who got the vital touch as he and Emile Heskey rose at the far post to meet an in-swinging Stewart Downing free-kick. With both teams still going for a winner, there surely was once more
twist in the tale to come. And there it was as Heskey, the man who was bought by Gerard Hullier at Liverpool for 9 million pounds, delivered for his former boss.
Stephen Warnock floated over a cross from the left while Heskey beat Berra to plant a header into the bottom corner of the net. That was the way to answer your critics. Heskey now has three goals in his last four games. Villa held on for the last few minutes
and Houllier started his much talked about 2nd stint in the EPL with a win.
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