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Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann makes most of lucky break to beat Stoke Aston Villa’s Andreas Weimann makes most of lucky break to beat Stoke
(about 1 hour later)
Sod’s law comes into it but Aston Villa’s resolve and organisation warrant a mention as well. This was the team with the leakiest defence in the Premier League over the past two seasons, previously without an away win since 1 January, the club up for sale, against the Midlands’ most upwardly mobile team, who had done the double over Villa last season and finished with a flourish in ninth place. We came here to praise Stoke City’s continental conversion and went away appreciating the remarkable resolve of an Aston Villa rearguard superbly marshalled by Ron Vlaar.
But this is football, so Stoke City succumbed to Andreas Weimann’s goal early in the second half, as Ron Vlaar marshalled Villa’s superb defensive performance. Thanks to Andreas Weimann’s goal five minutes into the second half, Paul Lambert’s team were able to play to their strengths and soak up pressure while counter-attacking with promise and no little quality. With Christian Benteke to return in October, Villa’s fortunes in this transitional period could be on the turn.
Even before the rock that is Carlos Sánchez, Villa’s new £4.5m Colombian defensive midfielder, joins the fray, Stoke foundered against Concrete Ron and his comrades as Paul Lambert drilled his defensive unit superbly. Bojan, signed from Barcelona, flashed and burned on a difficult debut in English football and Mark Hughes, pleased to have acquired Victor Moses on loan from Liverpool for a year, admitted he will have to pick and choose the games in which he can expect the erstwhile ‘next Lionel Messi’ to shine for Stoke. “This was a bit of a wake-up call for us,” the Stoke manager said, “because we all had high expectations and they’ve been tempered somewhat today. We know we need to work hard this season. But we also need to be better than that.
Stoke fans arrived at fortress Britannia with optimism to shield them from the cold winds. Mark Hughes’ first season was as positive as could have been imagined and, on the back of the club’s highest finish since 1975, the addition of Bojan Krkic from Barcelona has been among the most eye-catching of the summer’s signings. The idea of the erstwhile “next Lionel Messi” pitching up in the Potteries still takes some getting used to. “It was important [Bojan] got some game time. He showed glimpses in some situations. We need to be able to find him in those [attacking] areas more often. We need to play him in the right games against the right opposition to get the best out of him.”
He buzzed and weaved early on, starting on the attacking right hand of a 4‑2‑3-1 formation but flitting about where the fancy took him, interchanging positions with Stephen Ireland and Marko Arnautovic, and he came close to opening the scoring when cutting inside to drill a shot into the side netting. Stoke did the double over Villa last year, have finished above them for the past three season and achieved their highest league position since 1975 in finishing ninth in the Premier League last term. But while they started brightly yesterday, Bojan drifting across the line behind Mame Biram Diouf, his fellow attacking debutant, and cutting in from the left to shoot into the side-netting, Villa grew into the game and deserved their first away victory since New Year’s Day.
Many neutrals have been tipping Villa to face another battle against relegation, especially since Randy Lerner’s decision to put the club up for sale at the start of the summer has been met with so little tangible progress, but they defended with resolve and organisation. With the club up for sale, Villa’s woes are far from over but with the experience they have acquired this summer, and Carlos Sanchez, the Colombia anchorman, to integrate into their midfield, they look as if they will be much harder to beat this season on this evidence. No ever-present in the Premier League over the past two seasons have conceded more goals than Villa which is why Lambert has been pleased to recall the likes of Alan Hutton, cast out for two years as the club tried and failed to lever him off the wage bill, and bring in Philippe Senderos, Aly Cissokho and Kieran Richardson, who were excellent on their debuts.
Ashley Westwood was booked for a crunching late tackle on Steven N’Zonzi, hardly a fair fight for the Villa man, and Roy Keane, the new assistant manager, and Paul Lambert have evidently worked well with the back unit. With a solid platform, Villa attacked well and Gabby Agbonlahor should have scored midway through the first half when Richardson capitalised on indecision between Asmir Begovic and Marc Wilson to cross to the former England striker who shot wide when under pressure from Ryan Shawcross.
Vlaar enjoyed an excellent World Cup and, even if he looked a little rusty after a truncated summer holiday, the Dutchman could rely upon experience and knowhow around him in Philippe Senderos, Alan Hutton and Aly Cissokho. Villa fans cheered their team off raucously at half-time, scenting what now constitutes a surprise result, and their volume increased another notch five minutes after the restart when Weimann gave them the lead. There was a fine build-up through midfield before the ball was played to Charles N’Zogbia, another of Villa’s long-forgotten returnees, who turned superbly on the edge of the penalty area only for Glenn Whelan to scoop the ball off his toes. Inadvertently, however, the Stoke anchorman passed the ball out to Weimann, wide on the right of the Stoke box. The Austrian’s first touch was poor but he responded in the best fashion by winning the ricochet off Wilson and thrashing his shot across goal and into the far corner of the net.
This was the first start under Lambert for the latter three but, succeeding the callow youths who have helped Villa ship all those goals in the past two seasons, they looked good value for the clean sheet they kept in the first half. “This year is a totally different feeling,” Lambert said. “I thought we were outstanding and that we deserved to win the game.”
Such a solid foundation gave Villa confidence going forward and Gabby Agbonlahor, preferred to Darren Bent in attack, might have scored in the 25th minute had he turned in a sharp cross to an empty net after Kieran Richardson, one of three new starters for the visitors, had nipped in between Asmir Begovic and Marc Wilson chasing Hutton’s pass to cross.
Villa fans cheered their team off raucously at half-time, scenting a potential upturn in fortunes, and their volume increased another notch five minutes after the restart when Weimann gave them the lead. There was a fine build-up through midfield before the ball was played to Charles N’Zogbia another of Villa’s long-forgotten returnees, who turned superbly on the edge of the penalty area only for Glenn Whelan to scoop the ball off his toes. Inadvertently, however, the Stoke anchorman passed the ball out to Weimann, wide on the right of the Stoke box. The Austrian’s first touch was poor but he responded in the best fashion by winning the ricochet off Wilson and thrashing his shot across goal and into the far corner of the net.