A Villa thriller

18 April 2009 19:43
Aston Villa 1-1 West HamSoccer Saturday analysis Phil Thompson watched West Ham and Aston Villa serve up a thriller. The 1-1 draw might not sound like the game of the day, neither will it have any real baring at either end of the Premier League table, but nonetheless both sides attacked from the off. Villa took the lead through Emile Heskey on 11 minutes only for Diego Tristan's instinctive finish to peg them back five minutes from time. And according to Thompson, it was no more than they deserved for their part in an end-of-season surprise. "It was a decent game," he told Soccer Saturday. "Whether or not it was two teams just seeing out the season, they both had a right go. "You could say in the first half that Villa deserved maybe more. Heskey scored; but there was a good square ball from Jamies Milner and he put over; he hit the post with another and he clipped the outside of the post. "They had a few more chances in the first half, but the longer the game went on, the more West Ham came into it and they deserved their equaliser." Confident The game, according to Thompson, just about summed up the Hammers' season. Sluggish to start with, they finished stronger, welcoming the likes of Keiron Dyer back into the fray while still producing the good football expected of a Gianfranco Zola - and West Ham - side. And although a vague push for Europa League football next season is still possible, Thompson believes they can already look back on an impressive first campaign under the Italian. "They have surprised me more as the season has gone on," he said. "They looked confident, they passed the ball around extremely well and in the end it was Kieron Dyer who had the shot from the edge of the box and there was Tristan to glance it in to the top corner. "But all in all everybody seems to be playing their part, no-ones moaning at anyone else, or rattling each other. "I thought it was a really, really good game, plenty of goalscoring chances for both sides. It was a marvellous game, I enjoyed it immensely."

Source: SKY_Sports