Filed under: Aston Villa, Stoke City, Premier League, Football, Match Reports
It was hardly the resounding result Aston Villa would have liked to have given sick manager Gerard Houllier, yet Darren Bent's equaliser against Stoke at least ensured they stretched their unbeaten run to four games.Bent cancelled out Kenwyne Jones' headed opener at Villa Park to surely kill off any lingering relegation fears for the claret and blues in a flat game which had all the makings of an end-of-season game between two mid-table sides.
It was a creditable point for the Potters, whose attention will now inevitably be focused on next month's FA Cup final against Manchester City, while Villa caretaker boss Gary McAllister can now target a top-half finish after guiding Villa onto 41 points in the absence of Houllier, who remains in hospital after being admitted on Wednesday night complaining of chest pains.
Brad Friedel did well to beat away a Robert Huth drive and, from the resulting corner, the American pulled off an even better save to keep out Jones' header before Richard Dunne cleared to safety.
Villa found themselves entrenched in their own area, having to defend six corners one after the other, and eventually the Potters' pressure told as Jones rose highest to head home a Rory Delap throw-in.
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The home side took 31 minutes to threaten Asmir Begovic's goal when Kyle Walker's floated cross was headed narrowly over the crossbar by Emile Heskey, while Bent claimed he should have been awarded a penalty after his shirt appeared to be tugged by Marc Wilson.
But Bent was soon celebrating when he levelled the scores shortly before half-time, superbly glancing a Walker cross beyond Begovic and in off the inside of the left post. It was a seventh goal in 12 games for the England international.
The second half failed to deliver much in the way of action with Stewart Downing seeing a long-range effort deflected wide, while Heskey was unable to direct a Nigel Reo-Coker cross goalwards.
Potters substitute Ricardo Fuller had the ball in the back of the net with 10 minutes remaining but the goal was rightly ruled out for offside in what was an otherwise low-key ending to an instantly forgettable contest.
REACTION:
Villa caretaker manager McAllister was delighted with the reaction of the Villa players in their first game without Houllier:
"They are all professional guys. The manager is unwell. It's my responsibility as his No. 2 to come in. The good thing is we're on a decent run at the moment. The training has been first class. We have good players here, that's a fact and we're starting to look forward."
On Bent's goal:
"I thought it was a real striker's goal. You can't teach it. He has done fantastically well since he's come here."
On targeting eighth place:
"We need points to catch Bolton. A couple or three weeks ago we were looking down but now we are trying to keep it going and look up."
Potters manager Tony Pulis admitted his team faded badly after half-time:
The first 40 minutes was very good and then Bent scores a great goal. The worst thing that happened to us was half-time because we looked very jaded in the second half. It was just a case of keeping it solid then."
On an injury sustained by Fuller late on:
"It's his Achilles. We're not sure how bad it is. It's disappointing because he is a game-changer off the bench."
On ensuring the FA Cup final does not become a distraction:
"There's a danger that you think about Wembley before it comes along. The Premier League is still our priority."
WHAT IT MEANS: Villa can start looking up the table, as opposed to down, after reaching 41 points and a top-half finish looks likely with West Brom and Wigan up next. The Potters could still do with another victory to secure their status for another year, however it would be a major surprise if they were to be dragged into a relegation scrap.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/04/23/aston-villa-1-stoke-1-darren-bent-kenwyne-jones/
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