This time last year, West Ham at home. Interesting to see how far "the project" has developed over the last 12 months
Relief for Villa as they refuse to buckle for once
PETER LANSLEY
11 February 2013
The Times
© 2013 Times Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved
Aston Villa Benteke 74 (pen), N'Zogbia 78 2 West Ham United Westwood 87 (og) 1 Finally, at the ninth time of asking, Aston Villa won in the Barclays Premier League, but only after putting their supporters through the wringer in the kind of nervous finale that customarily costs them victory.
Goals from Christian Benteke and Charles N'Zogbia enabled Paul Lambert's side to scramble out of the relegation zone with their first home win since November, but this win was just as much about Villa maintaining their nerve to hold on as it was to establishing a two-goal lead in the first place.
Going ahead by that margin has not been Villa's problem. They have led Manchester United, Liverpool, Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion and Everton by two goals but only once in that spell, at Anfield on the occasion of their previous league success in mid-December, had they emerged triumphant.
Yesterday's victory was almost as important for its psychological value as it was for the three points accrued. Even then, Ashley Westwood's own goal three minutes from time had Villa fans holding heads in hands, their guts churning, as Brad Guzan made saves in stoppage time from Kevin Nolan and, with the last touch of the match, a tip-over from Carlton Cole's header.
Relegation battles only usually seem as nerve-racking as this come Easter time.
But that is how serious the situation has become for Villa. Lambert had casually mentioned on the eve of the game that he accepted his team would probably need five or six wins from the final 13 games of the season to avoid demotion to the npower Championship. So, with Arsenal and Manchester City to come after the break for the FA Cup fifth round, yesterday's match came with "must-win" signals flashing.
Villa came up against a West Ham United side who have now lost five consecutive away games in the league. Indeed, their run of one point from their past eight away games smacks of a side set to slip towards the danger zone. Sam Allardyce was not overly concerned, however, as he prepared to take his squad to a winter training camp to Dubai.
"We can't play any better," the West Ham manager said. "We dominated and just need to put the ball in the back of the net when we get a chance. We can't criticise the players for the way they played. You want to pick up your points and get closer to safety. We're relying on our home form too much."
Seeking to avoid sealing their worst home run since 1963, after four consecutive defeats in front of their own fans, Villa were the better side in the first half. They seldom looked like conceding a goal; but then they did not concede a corner in the opening 45 minutes.
Going forward, Villa resemble a decent side. Even shorn of Gabriel Agbonlahor, who fell ill on the eve of the game, they have pace, power and trickery, in the form of Andreas Weimann, Benteke and N'Zogbia. And while the latter two players' goals ultimately provided the difference between the sides, it was the former who should have made life a lot more comfortable.
Only 100 seconds had elapsed when Benteke was allowed to cut inside from the left on to his favoured right foot to let fly with a powerful low drive that, on the slippery surface, Jussi Jaaskelainen was unable to hold. The rebound spilt out to Weimann, who was completely composed as he weighed up his angle only to sidefoot his shot wide of the far post.
It was a remarkable miss and out of keeping for the young Austria striker, who has scored nine times this season.
Villa looked more compact with a back four and Nathan Baker sweated blood for the cause after banging heads with Andy Carroll.
West Ham came back strongly at the start of the second half and Darren Bent, on as a substitute, had to clear off the line from the on-loan Liverpool striker's shot.
But N'Zogbia kept finding space in between the lines and when he was fouled as he cut back inside Mark Noble, Benteke stroked home his fifteenth goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Five minutes later, after James Tomkins fouled Bent, N'Zogbia curled home a sumptuous free kick from 25 yards and that should have been that. But this is Villa we are talking about. So when Joe Cole cut back on to his left foot and his diagonal cross clipped off Westwood's header and above Guzan into the top corner, the final minutes came with a government health warning.
"The stress levels are ridiculous," Lambert said. "It's only great when you hear that final whistle. If we hadn't dropped [late] points in recent games, we would be comfortably mid-table. But we have hopefully broken the camel's back with that."
ratings Aston Villa (4-2-1-3): B Guzan 7 M Lowton 6, R Vlaar 6, C Clark 7, N Baker 7 A Westwood 6, F Delph 7 C N'Zogbia 8 (sub: Y Sylla, 85min) J Bowery 5 (sub: D Bent, 63 6), C Benteke 7, A Weimann 5 (sub: S Dawkins, 63 6). Substitutes not used: S Given, B Holman, B Bannan, J Bennett. Booked: Baker, Clark, Bent.
West Ham United (3-4-2-1): J Jaaskelainen 6 W Reid 5, J Tomkins 6, E Pogatetz 5 J O'Brien 5 (sub: G Demel, 24 6), M Noble 5 (sub: C Cole, 76), M Diamι 7, M Taylor 5 (sub: R Vaz Tκ, 68 6) K Nolan 6, J Cole 7 A Carroll 6. Substitutes not used: R Spiegel, M Jarvis, M Chamakh, G O'Neil. Booked: Pogatetz, Reid.
