Source: Telegraph
Aston Villa 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2: match report
Two goals from John Carew meant that this was not a disaster for Aston Villa, although judging by the sounds from the stands it might as well have been. [LNB]Wolverhampton Wanderers, struggling against relegation, led for the majority of the match, despite having less shots on target than goals. It left the Villa supporters venting their frustrations in Emile Heskey's direction once again. It has reached the point where they want more than off-the-ball contribution. [LNB]Villa Park's disenchantment, and their calls for Nathan Delfouneso, the 19 year-old striker, revealed just how much Villa missed Gabby Agbonlahor. The striker has scored in every derby this season, but despite recovering from a recent stomach complaint, and a groin strain picked up at Wigan in midweek, he injured his foot in training on Friday afternoon and was unavailable. [LNB]Martin O'Neill will hope he is back in time to play Sunderland on Wednesday, again at Villa Park. Carew continues to knock in the goals, but Heskey failed to take any of his chances, especially a decent headed effort in the second half. Sunderland represent another chance to edge closer to the top four, but does not stop this from being an opportunity for three points that has gone begging. [LNB]It started promisingly enough. Ashley Young, on troublemaking form, rounded Ronald Zubar with ease and crossed into the area where Carew stepped smartly back on-side without the linesman noticing and side-footed past Marcus Hahnemann. The Norwegian striker threw his arms in the air before standing statue-still, in Andrew Flintoff-style celebration, his head nodding in self-appreciation. [LNB]Judging by the way he preened before his public, Young was clearly satisfied with his contribution too. The winger's pace had left Zubar at a standstill and his cross was pinpoint. The eagle eyes of Capello, from his eerie in the directors' box, will not have missed it, nor that Milner was the source of the move with his astute pass to Young. [LNB]A goal to the good, the creative juices flowing and with, statistically, the best defence in the country, Villa should have been on comfortable ground, but they went into the break trailing, broken down by Zubar, of all people. [LNB]Wolves had offered little in the way of aggressive intent but when David Jones curved a free-kick high into the box, Zubar intercepted, and although the defender redirected the ball away from Brad Friedel's goal with his clumsy touch, it went straight to Craddock, who was left with the simple task of depositing into an unguarded net. [LNB]McCarthy's side extended the lead when Matt Jarvis' chip into the area was diverted in off the sole of Milner's boot. Villa came close when Young crossed from the left wing for Heskey, who drove his header into the back of George Elokobi's head, rather than the goal. Despite scrambling for the follow up, he couldn't reach the ball in time. 'We want Delfouneso on,' responded Villa Park. [LNB]Instead they were given Steve Sidwell, whose shot with less than ten minutes remaining was touched in by Carew. It amounts to relief for Villa, who draw level with Manchester City on 50 points, although City have a game in hand. [LNB]For Wolves, that there will perhaps be a tinge disappointment that they did not steal three points is a compliment to the way they went about their business. They are now four points clear of relegation, and on this performance at least, they do not deserve to go down. [LNB]
