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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Aston Villa v QPR: Premier League – live! | Aston Villa v QPR: Premier League – live! |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| 3.23pm ET20:23 | |
| Goal! Aston Villa 2-1 QPR (Benteke, 33 min) | |
| QPR is dispossessed around midfield and Agbonlahor immediately finds Benteke, who slaloms past Hill, wrong-foots the keeper and slots home the go-ahead goal. What a composed finish by the Belgian. | |
| 3.20pm ET20:20 | |
| 29 min: Jeff Woodman asks for thoughts on Timmy Sherwood firing off his jacket after Villa scored. I’ll open it up to the gallery. | |
| 3.16pm ET20:16 | |
| 27 min: What an opportunity for Benteke, who nearly puts Villa ahead. This time it was Bacuna making a run with the ball before finding the Belgian near the back post. His header beats the outstretched Green, but soars just above the crossbar – perhaps aided by a deflection? | |
| 3.13pm ET20:13 | |
| 25 min: Another Villa corner, another clearance. | |
| Karl Ruben Weseth reaches out with some unsolicited crit for Villa fans: “I wish the Villa supporters would realise how ill-suited the ‘Seven Nation Army’ melody is to Christian Benteke’s name. Just try it yourself; all those closed vowels sound crap compared to, say the Gooners’ Santi Cazorla variant. And before you ask, yes, I’m thrilled that I chose to study musicology at uni.” | |
| 3.11pm ET20:11 | |
| 23 min: Sandro is down after taking a boot to the head during a scuffle for the ball that ended with Delph’s shot deflecting off a QPR player for a corner kick. The corner is low and quickly cleared to midfield. | |
| Updated at 3.12pm ET | |
| 3.07pm ET20:07 | |
| 19 min: A cross at midfield to Bacuna who runs up the right side, cuts back toward the center of the field and fires a shot that soars high and wide. The fast, furious pace shows no sign of slowing as the 20-minute mark draws near. | |
| 3.05pm ET20:05 | |
| 17 min: And just like that Villa are on the attack. Nice interplay up the left side ends with a cross to Grealish in the area, but Green intervenes in the nick of time. A nice play by the keeper. | |
| 3.04pm ET20:04 | |
| 16 min: Kranjcar runs with the ball up the left side, meets indecision on the edge of the area before firing a low, left-footed shot that’s easily corraled by Guzan. | |
| 3.03pm ET20:03 | |
| 15 min: QPR win a free kick, but Kranjcar’s attempt soars over the target for a goal kick. | |
| 3.01pm ET20:01 | |
| 12 min: More back and forth action and the teams exchange possession up and down the pitch. | |
| Will Oliver, a Villa fan in Dixie, checks in: “QPR must be punished for that appalling white patch on the back of a hooped jersey. Red numbers on blue hoops would have kept them up this season, I reckon. It’s aesthetics or nothing down here at the bottom of the league.” | |
| 3.00pm ET20:00 | |
| GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 QPR (Benteke, 10 min) | |
| And just like that Villa equalize. Delph to Benteke who runs up the left side and uncoils a shot that’s deflected off Isla into the net. The goals are less than three minutes apart. Have a sense from this frenetic pace they won’t be the only ones we see today. | |
| Updated at 3.25pm ET | |
| 2.59pm ET19:59 | |
| 9 min: A low cross from Bacuna is barely cleared with Agbonlahor surging in. A positive start early. | |
| 2.57pm ET19:57 | |
| GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 QPR (Phillips, 7 min) | |
| With the ball in the Villa area and not cleared effectively, Zamora is allowed to turn and finds a surging Phillips toward the back post who heads it home. Poor defending and an easy finish. | |
| Updated at 3.24pm ET | |
| 2.53pm ET19:53 | |
| 6 min: A nice play by Villa as Grealish, making his first start, fires a nice through pass to Cleverley, who crosses to to Benteke at the far post. Benteke is offsides but nice interplay early from the hosts. | |
| Updated at 2.55pm ET | |
| 2.52pm ET19:52 | |
| 3 min: Sloppy start for both sides. First free kick of the match to Aston Villa: Delph’s attempt toward the edge of the area falls to Benteke, but the volley attempt is scuff wide of target. | |
| 2.49pm ET19:49 | 2.49pm ET19:49 |
| 1 min: And we’re off! Aston Villa in the familiar home kits attacking from left to right, QPR in the classic royal blue and white-hooped strip. | 1 min: And we’re off! Aston Villa in the familiar home kits attacking from left to right, QPR in the classic royal blue and white-hooped strip. |
| 2.47pm ET19:47 | 2.47pm ET19:47 |
| Not much longer now | Not much longer now |
| The players are out of the tunnel. Kickoff any minute now. | The players are out of the tunnel. Kickoff any minute now. |
| Updated at 2.47pm ET | Updated at 2.47pm ET |
| 2.44pm ET19:44 | 2.44pm ET19:44 |
| Sock it to me | Sock it to me |
| Asks JR in Illinois: “What’s the deal with Grealish’s socks? Is he asking to get kicked or do opposing players not think like that? I saw Hull kick the crap out of him in the third week and wondered if maybe that was the reason.” | Asks JR in Illinois: “What’s the deal with Grealish’s socks? Is he asking to get kicked or do opposing players not think like that? I saw Hull kick the crap out of him in the third week and wondered if maybe that was the reason.” |
| Not sure but I recall Alexander Hleb used to wear them the same way. Seems like an unnecessary risk, but I’m neither a world class footballer nor a sartorial trendsetter. | Not sure but I recall Alexander Hleb used to wear them the same way. Seems like an unnecessary risk, but I’m neither a world class footballer nor a sartorial trendsetter. |
| 2.36pm ET19:36 | 2.36pm ET19:36 |
| The walking wounded | The walking wounded |
| Here’s a look at the laundry list of injuries dogging both of today’s sides. | Here’s a look at the laundry list of injuries dogging both of today’s sides. |
| Updated at 2.36pm ET | Updated at 2.36pm ET |
| 2.34pm ET19:34 | 2.34pm ET19:34 |
| A perfectly reasonable question | A perfectly reasonable question |
| Writes Sid Ward: “If this game is sooooo big why aint it on tele? As a Villa fan I’m gutted.” | Writes Sid Ward: “If this game is sooooo big why aint it on tele? As a Villa fan I’m gutted.” |
| As you likely know, the match was moved from 20 April due to Villa’s participation in the FA Cup semi-final. Fortunately it’s being televised in the US, which is why I’ve been enlisted for live commentary duties. | As you likely know, the match was moved from 20 April due to Villa’s participation in the FA Cup semi-final. Fortunately it’s being televised in the US, which is why I’ve been enlisted for live commentary duties. |
| 2.21pm ET19:21 | 2.21pm ET19:21 |
| The teams! | The teams! |
| The sides will be getting ready to walk out shortly and the game should be underway in 10 minutes. Here are today’s starters. | The sides will be getting ready to walk out shortly and the game should be underway in 10 minutes. Here are today’s starters. |
| Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Richardson, Cleverley, Delph (c), Sanchez, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Benteke | Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Richardson, Cleverley, Delph (c), Sanchez, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Benteke |
| QPR: Green, Isla, Onuoha, Caulker, Hill, Phillips, Sandro, Barton (c), Kranjcar, Austin, Zamora | QPR: Green, Isla, Onuoha, Caulker, Hill, Phillips, Sandro, Barton (c), Kranjcar, Austin, Zamora |
| Referee: Craig Pawson | Referee: Craig Pawson |
| TEAM SHEET: What do you make of tonight's #ASTvQPR team news? Cast your score prediction here; http://t.co/6IQEfMISl0 pic.twitter.com/1y9DVRq4sZ | TEAM SHEET: What do you make of tonight's #ASTvQPR team news? Cast your score prediction here; http://t.co/6IQEfMISl0 pic.twitter.com/1y9DVRq4sZ |
| Updated at 2.21pm ET | Updated at 2.21pm ET |
| 2.18pm ET19:18 | 2.18pm ET19:18 |
| Preamble | Preamble |
| A six-pointer at Villa Park today with the hosts at 17th in the table and three points ahead of 19th-place Queens Park Rangers. | A six-pointer at Villa Park today with the hosts at 17th in the table and three points ahead of 19th-place Queens Park Rangers. |
| Said Villa manager Tim Sherwood to the BBC: “I think this is the biggest game that a lot of these players have ever played for this football club | Said Villa manager Tim Sherwood to the BBC: “I think this is the biggest game that a lot of these players have ever played for this football club |
| “This is without doubt the biggest game of the season for Villa and possibly one of the biggest in a number of years and this is the biggest of my managerial career. | “This is without doubt the biggest game of the season for Villa and possibly one of the biggest in a number of years and this is the biggest of my managerial career. |
| So that’s something. Team news forthcoming. | So that’s something. Team news forthcoming. |
| 2.03pm ET19:03 | 2.03pm ET19:03 |
| Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a little something on QPR’s battle with relegation: | Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a little something on QPR’s battle with relegation: |
| Joleon Lescott must have thought he had the situation under control. The West Bromwich Albion defender had been surprised at first by the pace of Bobby Zamora as they chased after a long ball, but he still appeared to be in a position that would allow him to shepherd the Queens Park Rangers striker away from goal. The angle was tight, the ball was on Zamora’s weaker right foot and even the QPR fans at The Hawthorns were probably not expecting too much. There were two minutes left until half-time and their side had already defied expectations by racing into a 2-0 lead. | Joleon Lescott must have thought he had the situation under control. The West Bromwich Albion defender had been surprised at first by the pace of Bobby Zamora as they chased after a long ball, but he still appeared to be in a position that would allow him to shepherd the Queens Park Rangers striker away from goal. The angle was tight, the ball was on Zamora’s weaker right foot and even the QPR fans at The Hawthorns were probably not expecting too much. There were two minutes left until half-time and their side had already defied expectations by racing into a 2-0 lead. |
| What happened next was extraordinary. Perhaps realising that he was not quick enough to burst away from Lescott again, Zamora improvised, using the outside of his trusty left foot to strike the ball early and send a beautiful lob spinning over the head of the stranded Boaz Myhill. Three-nil, game over and QPR were on their way to a precious 4-1 victory that has revitalised their hopes of staying up. | What happened next was extraordinary. Perhaps realising that he was not quick enough to burst away from Lescott again, Zamora improvised, using the outside of his trusty left foot to strike the ball early and send a beautiful lob spinning over the head of the stranded Boaz Myhill. Three-nil, game over and QPR were on their way to a precious 4-1 victory that has revitalised their hopes of staying up. |
| On a weekend of stunning goals, Zamora’s effort was arguably the best. It had the chutzpah of Charlie Adam’s 65-yard missile against Chelsea, the touch and technique of Wayne Rooney’s swivelling volley against Aston Villa and the did-that-actually-just-happen quality of Jermain Defoe’s winner for Sunderland against Newcastle United, and above all it was a gloriously subtle goal, instinct combining with a clear thought-process to devastating effect. Although Zamora did not back his body in a sprint, he was still a step ahead of Lescott and Myhill, his mind moving faster than his opponents. It was a goal that left Ruud Gullit comparing him to Lionel Messi on Match of the Day. | On a weekend of stunning goals, Zamora’s effort was arguably the best. It had the chutzpah of Charlie Adam’s 65-yard missile against Chelsea, the touch and technique of Wayne Rooney’s swivelling volley against Aston Villa and the did-that-actually-just-happen quality of Jermain Defoe’s winner for Sunderland against Newcastle United, and above all it was a gloriously subtle goal, instinct combining with a clear thought-process to devastating effect. Although Zamora did not back his body in a sprint, he was still a step ahead of Lescott and Myhill, his mind moving faster than his opponents. It was a goal that left Ruud Gullit comparing him to Lionel Messi on Match of the Day. |
| Gullit’s giddy astonishment was understandable. Veteran strikers who have seen better days are not supposed to score goals this good and when they do there is a temptation to regard it as a flash in the pan, a fluke even, more luck than judgment. Enjoy it while it lasts, Bobby, but you’ll never do it again. | Gullit’s giddy astonishment was understandable. Veteran strikers who have seen better days are not supposed to score goals this good and when they do there is a temptation to regard it as a flash in the pan, a fluke even, more luck than judgment. Enjoy it while it lasts, Bobby, but you’ll never do it again. |
| Read the full article here | Read the full article here |