Aston Villa -Manchester City 0-2 Match Report

Match details

Att: 32,964

Goals: Yaya Toure (83), Aguero (89)

MCIVTA Man of the Match

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Ratings:

Hart: Largely unemployed but spread himself well to deny Richardson in the second half: 7

Zabaleta: Solid as ever. It is no coincidence that the right hand side of the defence is stronger than the left: 8

Kompany: His speed of thought and reading of the game is second to none. Great power and pace too: 8

Mangala: A steady return. Also read the game well and was assertive: 7

Kolarov: Some very decent delivery going forward but vulnerable as ever defensively and picked up a booking: 7

Milner: Forever looking to create in another good all round game. His incisive pass for Aguero after the break was top drawer. Deserves his more regular starting berth and hopefully this will convince him to sign a new deal with City: 8

Yaya: Was guilty of over hitting a few passes into touch in the first half but he kept going and his class was instrumental in winning the match. He benefited from having Fernando behind him in the last quarter of the game and he broke the deadlock with silky strike: 7

Fernandinho: Another good, feisty performance full of bite, thwarting Villa on the break when needed, before he landed awkwardly on his ankle in the second half. Hopefully he is not seriously injured and is back soon: 7

Silva: It is a real privilege to watch this great player at work. So skilful and intelligent, he has the foresight to see at least two passes ahead, and he possesses a wand of a left foot to put those ideas into practice. He ran most of this game and adorned it with his brilliance: 9 (***Man of the Match***)

Dzeko: Worked hard and went close in first half before being subbed tactically midway through second half: 6

Aguero: Always a threat with his clever running and his speed of foot and mind. Went close in the first half with a glancing header, should have scored when put through by Milner after the break, and it didn’t seem to be his day in front of goal until his powerful strike sealed the match and underlined his class: 7

Subs:

Lampard (for Fernandinho 56): Gave us another attacking threat and his clever movement almost brought the reward of a goal.7

Fernando (for Dzeko 65): His introduction more than any other changed the game. Such a good tackler and reader of the game, he provides an excellent screen for the back four: 8

Navas (for Silva 83): Busy: n/a

Refwatch:  Foy: Wonders never cease, he had a good game, but neither side made it difficult for him: 7

Best Oppo: Guzan: Simply outstanding, and often the only barrier between City and a breakthrough. His reflexes are so sharp he can deal with sharply deflected shots. It took two top drawer strikes to beat him. He is an excellent goalkeeper: 8

I hope Peter Llewellyn is not too shaken up after his tumble. It has been my misfortune to come across the sort of “silver backed gorilla” that he described over the years. Six years ago at Bramall Lane on “balloongate” day, my wife, who was pregnant at the time, was barged over by one of the said silver backs when it “kicked off”. I felt a bit less inclined to forgive, I can tell you! Plus ca change. I have to agree with him re standing at away matches. I’d much rather sit down nowadays. Maybe it’s my age…

Footnote:

There has been a noticeable absence of criticism of Villa fans and indeed Aston Villa for the low attendance of just 32,964 for this match. Not that they should be criticised. The price of tickets in tough times and the fact that it was on TV with a less than convenient 5:30pm kick off meant there was always going to be a lower attendance. It’s just City were criticised for having 37,509 against Roma – and yet that is 5,000 more than the average in Europe this week, Multimillionaire ex-footballers like Scholes and Rio Ferdinand (he has been an ex-footballer for about 4 years in all truth) without feeling for everyday people who have to make ends meet in the days of pay cuts, redundancy and zero hour contracts, can harbour and air their agenda and criticise our crowds, but the fact is that they are not only biased, but out of touch with reality.