West Ham 0-1 Villa ***Live blog*** FT
Game: West Ham United vs Aston Villa
Competition: Premier League
Date: Sat 20 Dec 08 – That’s today 
KO: 17:30 GMT (09:30 PST)
Venue: Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, London
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FT- Villa take the opportunity, not wasting it like they did back at the start of November, and go third in the Prem. We now sit just 3 points behind Chelsea and 4 points off top. The top two play tomorrow, so that may not last, but its a great testament to MON and the Villa to be where we are. Man Utd are off gallavanting and have 2 games in hand on us, so they too can take the polish off our fun but not many teams have got into the top four for any period for the last decade, so lets enjoy it Villans. Be proud. Be very proud. And have a few beers tonight!
FT- THE WHISTLE! We’ve won it 1-0. Maybe it was a lucky goal, but we were the team that looked most like scoring. West Ham attacked a lot more than us and had possession much more but other than Craig Bellamy they didn’t look capable of troubling us. Villa defending strongly, though often looked second best in the air, and attacking with a greater killer instinct than the Hammers. It has to be said though, if Bellamy had someone up with him like Dean Ashton, we could easily have lost that game. Bellamy was excellent (and I can’t stand the guy!) but one man can’t do it all. Zola is doing a great job with what he has, but he MUST buy a striker in Jan to cover if Ashton gets injured again. Carlton Cole needs to bite the bullet and accept that he isn’t Premier league quality, he could be a good player in the Championship.
93- Route one again. Villa clear again.
92- Long West Ham ball, eventually cleared by Barry.
91- Sidwell gives it away very dangerously in front of our box. We crowd big time and get a goal kick. The clock is not ticking fast enough.
91- West Ham fans are leaving, I really hate that. If they were four down and under the cosh then maybe, but one down and on top of the game, thats ridiculous.
90- FOUR MINUTES ADDED – Arrrrggghhh! They’re trying to give us Villans a heart attack.
89- Villa are trying the corner trick. I hate this one. Still if it gets us three points.
88- Shakily Villa get away. Again its straight back.
87- West Ham give it away and we get a goal kick. Its right back at us though. West Ham throw.
86- West Ham get a big chance and a good shot is saved well by Friedel.
84- Ashley Young goes down in the box after a kick in the face. Young is clucthing his head but the ref ignores him. This is a very bad decision by the ref, the play is always supposed to stop for head injuries and that was a clear as day kick in the face. We should have at least a free kick and maybe a penalty, it was right on the line.
83- SUB – Diego Tristan comes on to replace Jack Collison, can he get on the scoresheet?
82- Young gets down the wing, but he has no support so he takes the corner. Young takes but theres next to no blue shirts in the box. It comes out to Petrov who shoots, but its over.
81- Petrov makes a good tough challenge on Bowyer.
80- West Ham haven’t changed their game, just sped it up a little. Can Villa cope with their possession for another 9 minutes?
79- CARD – Craig Bellamy gets a yellow card, just for being a prize bellend. Deserved if you ask me, I’d give him one as he walked on the pitch. Barton would get an automatic red from me too!
78- GOAL – It hits Lucas Neill and deflects in an arc over Green and into the net. 1-0 Villa.
77- Luke Young deals with the danger well, he’s having a good game. Young finds Young and he feeds Milner. Milner twists and turns and then shoots.
76- West Ham get down the right, Davies tackles. Wet Ham throw in.
75- Bowyer and Petrov have a roughing up session but then as it looks like Bowyer is going to be stupid, he hugs Petrov. Ahh young love!
74- Neill tries to create something for the Hammers but he’s crowded out well.
73- Ashley Young is upfront again, Barry puts in a dangerous cross. It falls to Aggy but he isn’t clinical enough and it goes begging.
71- CARD – Milner sees a yellow for a tough challenge, but he gave as good as he got, a little harsh there.
70- Tough challenge by Barry and he comes away with the ball, he breaks through the middle and feeds Agbon. Thats the second time he’s give it to Gabby and Gabby’s wasted it. Our lone striker is not on form today. Will the Fonz make an appearance? Who wants to see him come on?
69- Mullins cross, good header by Laursen.
68- Milner pounces on a Neill mistake and feeds Young, he shots with a curling shot, but not quite enough curl and its a foot or two wide.
67- West Ham can pass, theres no two ways about it but when they get up to Cole we seem able to deal with it.
66- CARD – Neill brings down Young and gets a yellow.
65- Carlton Cole wastes a double chance. Dean Ashton on here with Bellamy and we’d be losing by at least 2.
64- West Ham corner and again Villa mark badly and don’t get a head to it. It goes over, another let off for the Villans. For a defence as good as it is, we’re poor in the air too much.
63- Villa brea and get a corner, Laursen and Davies come up but the corner poor. West Ham break, Bellamy again causing problems but his ball to Cole is won by Luke Young, the rebound for Cole is saved by Friedel. BEllamy seems their only danger man.
62- Bellamy is looking very dangerous still but he has little support of his quality. Two of him and they’d be winning by now.
61- Lee Bowyer with a run, but his ball to Cole is way overhit. Villa goal kick.
59- Ashley Young gives the ball away and the cross finds Cole, but he heads over. That was a huge chance for the Hammers. Bad miss.
58- Cole feeds Collison well but Villa crowd them out and get the ball away. Petrov goes down wincing, but he should OK.
56- SUB – Behrami comes off for Lee Bowyer. Cuellar goes down in pain from a challenge a few minutes back and he’s coming off too. Ngel Reo-Coker comes on to a chorus of boos from his old fans.
55- Petrov has played very deep today, filling the holding role, and he’s having a great game. Vital interceptions and passes.
54- Barry’s corner is very poor. Away it goes.
53- Petrov gets a long shot in, deflected out by Collison. Villa corner.
52- Barry gives it away cheaply, but Davies cleans up for him and Villa mount an attack. Luke Young twists and turns but his cross shows that he’s played on the wrong flank.
51- Dicey slide by Sidwell but he executes it well. West Ham conrer. The corner is cleared by Villa.
50- Villa struggle to get it away though and it’s hard t see how West Ham are so near the drop zone with the way they can play it around.
49- West Ham are continuing the passing play of the first half. WEst Ham play the ball into the box and Davies fluffs the clearance but Friedel is there to clear up.
48- Neill’s throw in into the box is knocked out for a corner by Villa. The corner finds Neill but he heads over. Villa have been second to a lot of headers this season and have been lucky not to be punished more.
47- Noble plays a good ball over, Upson wins the head but he’s off target.
46- West Ham have come out firing, A Young gives away a free kick on Behrami.
45- Immediately it’s that man again, Bellamy has a tight shot in the box. Saved by Friedel.
45- SUB – Scottie Park is going off for Hayden Mullins.
HT- It was a pretty blistering first half, full of end to end action, and chances for both teams to get in front. Both keepers have played excellently though and it remains 0-0. Go put the kettle on, make a cuppa tea and if I was you, I’d slip a sly whiskey in it, help settle those nerves everytime Bellamy gets the ball. Come straight back though because this has been a brilliant game so far. I’m expecting a few goals in the second half.
45+1- Bellamy gets West Ham a throw but the whistle denies them a final chance of the half.
45- West Ham counter but Milner is fouled in our box.
44- Superb ball from Petrov sets Barry off, he feeds Agbon but his touch is poor. It falls back to Barry who shoots but Green manages to save it.
42- Again Young pounces on a backpass but Green is cool and collected and deals with it. He hits it upfield and then Curtis Davies gives it away. Behrami hits it very hard and Friedel can just manage to get in the way. Vital save.
41- Petrov steals the ball and heads forward, but then loses his urgency and in the end picks out Young but he connects badly and no danger for Green.
40- West Ham are passing around excellently but unless they give it to Bellamy they are never looking like a danger.
39- Davies tries to pick out Young but its poor and goes out for a throw in.
38- Bellamy, vile as he may be, is on fire today, he puts another dangerous ball in but Cuellar heads away.
37- Long pass from Luke Young finds Aggy and he goes down but theres no whistle, just boos!
36- Villa attack now, it’s an end to end game but Agbon can’t reach it and Green gathers.
35- Corner comes in, Laursen heads out to Collison who smashes it goalwards. Davies heads bravley to deflect the shot.
34- West Ham counter, Bellamy looks dangerou and his cross is very nearly deflected by Davies into our goal.
33- Ball into their box, Ashley Young again playing like a centre forward but can’t beat Green to it.
32- West Ham throw into our box, Laursen waits for Friedel to come but then hears Bellamy impeding and goes safe and clears it.
31- Robert Green screams himself hoarse at his wall but Young’s free kick is just wide. Superb free kick, it went up and over but is a foot or so wide. Close one for Villa.
30- Agbon runs at Davenport, goes down and gets a free kick. There was more in the penalty than that but refs shy away from big decisions sometimes.
29- West Ham pressure, Villa hold them off, the eventual cross is dealt with by Cuellar.
27- Barry goes down in the box, Villa fans want a penalty but the ref shakes his head, bad decision I think. Villa cross it in but Hammers head away and break. Bellamy gets in n the counter but his feed to Cole is off the mark and Cuellar clears up.
26- Bad backpass by Scott Parker and there is Ashley Young, just like the Everton game, he rounds the keeper but he’s gone far wide and his shot across goal hits the far post. Very good chance for Villa there.
25- Collison attempts to get away from Cuellar but can’t and runs out of play.
24- West Ham get into the box, tracked by Petrov, the ball across the box is read well by Davies and away it goes.
22- Agbon belts down the left wing, Ashley Young is in the box, the ball comes in and so does Sidwell but his shot is wide. Ashley Young seems to be playing upfront these last few minutes, Barry having to cover over on the left.
21- Neill crosses but its defended easily by Villa.
20- The ball is staying in the middle for a minute here as both teams battle hard.
19- Cuellar breaks down the right, plays in Ashley Young but he’s on the deck. No foul given.
18- Davenport again is in the right place but heads over.
17- Curtis Davies fouls Carlton Cole out on the left wing. The free kick is good but Friedel gets a vital touch to deflect it away from an awaiting Davenport. Corner.
16- Villa can’t quite make anything of it. Goal kick Hammers.
15- Young breaks down the left, great play and then he’s brought down by Behrami, free kick Villa.
14- Young earns Villa a corner then takes it too. It cmes back to him and West Ham crowd Villa out.
13- Sometimes it works though, Bellamy’s in here with a chance… and thats great work by Friedel, saving it with his leg. Big chance for West Ham there, that’ll pick up their game.
12- Villa are really boxing West Ham in, they are seeming to have ‘route one’ as their only way out their own half.
11- Shoreys on the bench but Cuellar is going to carry on.
10- He’s up, but he seems to be in a lot of pain, will he continue?
9- Milner gets down the wing but loses it and then Cuellar goes into avery strong challenge and wins. But he looks very much in pain.
8- Noble floats it in, it’s headed into the danger but Lucas Neill can’t get behind it and its simple for Friedel.
7- Twice now in the last 2 minutes Behrami gets the better of Barry this one leading to a free kick.
6- Bellamy breaks and strikes, but it’s an easy save for a keeper like Friedel.
3- With Sunderland doing us a favour, we have the opportunity to get 7 points away from Hull.
2- Villa start strongly, pushing at West Ham, earning a corner and now Agbn is down the left wing, but a foul is given to the ‘wannabe clarets’.
0- And they’re off.
Press F5 or click refresh for minute-by-minute updates.
Line-up:
Friedel
Cuellar – Laursen – Davies – L Young
Milner - Petrov – Barry – Sidwell – A Young
Agbonlahor
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