This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Aston Villa end six-game losing streak with goalless draw at West Ham
Aston Villa end six-game losing streak with goalless draw at West Ham
(about 3 hours later)
Seasoned West Ham supporters had seen this coming. The London club were riding the crest of a wave, playing slick football and inspiring talk of Europe. Before the kick-off, there had been the announcement of manager and player of the month awards for Sam Allardyce and Diafra Sakho. And Aston Villa were on their worst run of form since 1967. So the subsequent stalemate had actually been inevitable.
Seasoned West Ham United supporters had seen this coming. The club were riding the crest of a wave, playing slick, winning football and inspiring talk of Europe. Before the kick-off, there had been the announcement of manager and player of the month awards for Sam Allardyce and Diafra Sakho respectively while Aston Villa were on their worst run of form since 1967. So the subsequent stalemate was inevitable.
There was so nearly a fairy-tale twist. Flung on as an injury-time substitute for his first football of the season, after ankle ligament damage, Andy Carroll’s first touch was to meet Stewart Downing’s cross with a thumping header which drew the save of the game from Brad Guzan. Carroll had another, even later header, that was repelled by the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
There was nearly a fairytale twist. Brought on as an injury-time substitute for his first game of the season, after ankle ligament damage, Andy Carroll’s first touch was to meet Stewart Downing’s cross with a thumping header that drew a stunning, reaction save from Brad Guzan. Paul Lambert, the Aston Villa manager, called the goalkeeper’s intervention world-class.
Yet it was otherwise pretty forgettable fare. West Ham started and finished well but it was the bit in the middle that was the problem while Villa set up for the draw and just about got it. After the gloom of six consecutive Premier League losses, they have at least managed to stop the rot.
West Ham came on strong towards the end, with Sakho blowing two headed opportunities and Carl Jenkinson another. Allardyce felt that Jenkinson’s chance in the 89th minute from another Downing cross – he could not generate any power from six yards out – was the clearest opportunity. There was even time for Carroll to work Guzan again from yet another header.
West Ham fans know not to take anything for granted and Sam Allardyce’s pre-match warning about the dangers of complacency might have drawn smiles. Nonetheless, there was confidence about West Ham at the outset and a balance about the diamond formation that was geared to harness the threat of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho, who was back in the team after a shoulder problem. There was also the tonic of seeing Andy Carroll back among the substitutes after serious injury.
Allardyce said his switch from a diamond midfield formation to 4-2-3-1, which meant Downing moved from the middle to the left flank, was the prompt for West Ham to threaten the breakthrough. Yet the late flurry apart, it was pretty forgettable fare. With Arsenal not playing until Sunday at Swansea, West Ham edged into fourth place but the over-riding emotion for them was frustration.
The pattern was established early on; West Ham pressing onto the front foot and Villa looking to punch on the counter-attack. West Ham’s full-backs pushed high and, with Alex Song prominent in midfield, the home team enjoyed some nice patches of possession. They struggled to make serious in-roads during the first-half, though, and it became a rather sleepy contest before the interval.
“Villa are a frustrating team to break down but we did break them down several times,” Allardyce said. “We just couldn’t break down the goalkeeper. I was disappointed with our finishing.
Stewart Downing, the former Villa midfielder, who was booed by the travelling fans had West Ham’s best first-half moments. His fierce shot on 22 minutes after good work by Sakho stung Brad Guzan’s palms while he sliced another effort wide when well-placed. James Collins thudded a header at Guzan from Downing’s corner and Mark Noble had a shot blocked by Ron Vlaar. Guzan also came for and missed a high ball and he was fortunate that Sakho’s header was off-target.
The happiness belonged to Lambert, who talked of a “great” and “deserved” point, which lifted a small portion of the gloom that had built after six consecutive Premier League defeats. Without the suspended Christian Benteke, Villa threatened only sporadically, but Lambert could salute the resilience of the performance with some justification. Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker put their bodies on the line in central defence – Baker was injured in the 86th minute and was taken off on a stretcher – and then there was Guzan, who refused to be beaten.
The Villa manager, Paul Lambert, had refused to panic during the week, in the wake of the sixth consecutive defeat at home to Tottenham. He pointed out how five of the losses had come against opponents who had finished in last season’s top six. The bigger picture, he said, was that the situation was not as bad as people thought.
The pattern was established early on; West Ham pressing on to the front foot and Villa looking to remain compact and plunder something on the counter. Their lack of goals has been a serious problem – they have five for the season – and they created little of clear-cut note, apart from a couple of first-half flurries.
Still, the win at Liverpool on 13 September had seemed like an awfully long time ago and the imperative to fashion any kind of foot-hold was clear. What Villa fans would have given beforehand for even a goal. They had arrived in east London with only five all season.
Gabriel Agbonlahor, who played up front in Benteke’s absence, skated past James Collins after a loose pass by Mark Noble but he shot wildly while Andreas Weimann jinked and belted straight at Adrián after a burst from Charles N’Zogbia.
It might have come in the first-half. After a loose pass by Mark Noble, Gabriel Agbonlahor skated past Collins to open up a chance before shooting wildly while Andreas Weimann jinked and belted straight at Adrian following a burst from Charles N’Zogbia.
Downing, a former Villa midfielder had West Ham’s best moments in the first-half. His fierce shot on 22 minutes after good work by Sakho stung Guzan’s palms while he sliced another effort wide when well-placed. Collins thudded a header at Guzan from Downing’s corner and Noble had a shot blocked by Vlaar. Guzan also came for, and missed, a high ball and he was fortunate that Sakho’s header was off-target.
The game cried out for a dominant performer, somebody to bend it to his will but it meandered. As the rain tumbled down, the home crowd grew angry with the referee, Jonathan Moss, over perceived lapses. There was a plenty of commitment; good, honest running but a depressing lack of quality.
West Ham stirred towards the end. Sakho headed wide when unmarked on 78 minutes from the substitute Carlton Cole’s cross while, after Villa had lost Nathan Baker to a worrying-looking injury, Carl Jenkinson could not generate any power on his header from Downing’s cross. Carroll almost nicked it but Villa finally have their result.
