Aston Villa 2 Stoke City 2: IT WILL take more than a few hundred free dinners to placate Aston Villa supporters after this chastening result.
Having decided to leave eight first-team players at home for the Uefa Cup tie in Moscow with the aim of reducing the risk of fatigue, Martin O’Neill will not have appreciated the irony that Stoke City should strike twice in the closing minutes, when his team ought to have been feeling the benefit of that extended rest, to rescue an improbable draw.
Most of the stadium were left in a state of shock as Republic of Ireland international Glenn Whelan crashed home a low volley in injury-time, two minutes after Ryan Shawcross had scored what appeared to be a consolation, to haul Stoke level. The Villa players were crestfallen.
An eight-point advantage over Arsenal has slipped through their grasp after a fifth match without a win that will raise fears among even Villa supporters that their season is beginning to unravel.
It was a remarkable outcome. Stoke had been clueless in the opening 45 minutes and, even after a more spirited performance in the second half, seemed destined to suffer another fruitless afternoon away from home when John Carew executed a sumptuous volley to double Villa’s lead. There were only 11 minutes left on the clock and even Tony Pulis admitted that he thought “the game was over”. Fortunately for the Stoke manager, his indefatigable players had other ideas.
O’Neill was furious with the way in which the goals were conceded, never mind the timing of them. Shawcross was able to head in James Beattie’s cross from around eight yards with the minimum of fuss and Villa’s defending was just as suspect in the lead up to Whelan’s dramatic equaliser, when the midfielder had the time and space to pick his spot.
The late concessions may have felt like an aberration for a team that has specialised in grabbing injury-time goals of their own but there was nothing new about Villa toiling at home. O’Neill’s side have won only two of their last nine league games in front of their own supporters, a sequence that is threatening to undermine their exhilarating form on their travels.
The Villa manager detected some “over-confidence” in the second half but, in truth, there was no reason for the players to feel anything other than emboldened.
Having struggled to break down obdurate opponents at home in recent months, the patience of the Villa supporters was not overly stretched here as Stilian Petrov finished a fine move to score on the stroke of half-time. Swapping passes with James Milner, Petrov strode forward before beating Thomas Sorensen with an angled drive that flashed into the corner.
Stoke’s bungled game-plan – Pulis had reverted from his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation to 5-3-2 with the intention of pinning back James Milner and Ashley Young – had been exposed but, after reverting to type in the second half and introducing the livewire Ricardo Fuller, the visitors began to apply some pressure.
The home team needed a second goal to provide some breathing space and Carew duly obliged four minutes after his introduction.
Petrov was the creator, his reverse pass picking out the Norwegian for an acrobatic volley from around 18 yards.
Stoke were down but, crucially, not out and when Whelan drilled against the foot of the upright five minutes from time it was a sign of things to come. Villa, having lost to an injury-time goal at the Britannia Stadium in August, were experiencing an unwelcome bout of deja vu.
“Villa are a good side and for long periods we were hanging on,” admitted Pulis. “Everyone outside of Stoke-on-Trent has written ourselves off but our supporters are convinced that we will stay up.”
“We are more than disappointed in the dressingroom, pretty devastated,” said O’Neill.
“We were in total control of the game. We’re two-nil up with four or five minutes to go.
“At 2-0 we should see it through. I think top-four sides would see it through. I couldn’t be more disappointed.”
Guardian Service
