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Full time: ASTON VILLA 2-2 STOKE CITY: It's all over and Stoke have come from two goals down to snatch a vital point at Villa Park.
ASTON VILLA 2-2 STOKE CITY: They've done it! WHELAN swopps to smash home the equaliser after good work by Fuller.
ASTON VILLA 2-1 STOKE CITY: SHAWCROSS has given Stoke hope with a header from six yards out.
Whelan hits the post for Stoke! He fired the ball goalwards from 25 yards out and Friedel was beaten.
Shawcross misses a great chance to pull one back for Stoke, but his header sailed over the bar.
Agbonlahor should have made it 3-0 to Villa. His shot was well saved by Simonsen.
ASTON VILLA 2-0 STOKE CITY: CAREW scores with his first touch. The ball was played into the Villa striker on the edge of the box and he lobbed it over Simonsen.
Carew takes to the field in place of Heskey.
Lawrence gets back to rob the ball off Milner. The Villa winger is starting to see more of the ball.
Heskey tries to turn on the edge of the Stoke box but Sonko stands firm and clears the danger.
Milner hits a shot from outside the area but Higginbotham gets across to block it.
Fuller twists on the edge of the Villa box and volleys over the bar. Good effort by the substitute.
Cuellar chips the ball forward looking for Agbonlahor but Sonko does well to clear the danger.
Stoke make another change. Whelan comes on for Faye.
A brilliant challenge by Davies denies Fuller just as he was about to pull the trigger in the Villa box.
Beattie makes a mess of his pass after doing well to get into the Villa box. Fuller was ready to pounce but the ball never came.
Sonko sends along ball looking for Fuller but he couldn't control it and Villa clear. Stoke are starting to get a foothold in this game.
Fuller is striaght into the action as he races through the Villa defence but the linesman flagged him offside.
Stoke make an attacking substitution as Pugh comes off for Fuller.
Lawrence swings over a cross but Heskey is back defending for Villa and makes the clearance.
Wilkinson fires a shot across the Villa goal but it goes out for a throw.
Milner strides through the centre of midfield and plays in Agbonlahor but Simonsen collects.
Ashley Young has an opportunity to get in a cross but he slices the ball out for a goal kick to Stoke.
We're back under way at Villa Park. Can Stoke find an equaliser or will Villa increase their half time lead?
Stoke boss Tony Pulis is forced into making a change in goal, with Sorensen being replaced by Simonsen.
Half time ASTON VILLA 1-0 STOKE CITY: Stoke almost held out until half time but Petrov's goal was fully deserved. The home side should really be further ahead at the break.
ASTON VILLA 1-0 STOKE CITY: Villa finally take a deserved lead through PETROV. The midfielder combined with Milner to unleash a fine strike.
Cuellar swings a boot at the ball from 25 yards out but it goes well wide of the Stoke goal.
Into the final 5 minutes of the first half and there's signs that Villa are running out of ideas. They've dominated the game but have yet to find a breakthrough.
Sidibe clips a high ball forward looking for Beattie but the former Sheffield United striker was offside.
Diao hooks the ball out after yet another dangerous cross from Ashley Young. It's all Villa.
Ashley Young is booked for disputing one of Howard Webb's decisions.
Knight gets his head to a Barry cross but the ball sails over the bar.
Great chance for Villa as Milner surges into the Stoke box and smashes the ball across the six yard box. Heskey arrived late and just couldn't reach it.
Shawcross is the first player to be booked for a late tackle on Barry.
Beattie is the only Stoke player in Villa's half - and he's struggling to keep it when the ball is played forward to him.
Stoke try and build an attacking move of their own through Faye and Wilkinson but Cuellar breaks it up and brings the ball out of defence for Villa.
Knight clips the ball into Milner and his cross is knocked out for a corner to the home side.
Luke Young plays in Heskey but he turns into Sonko and the Stoke defender clears.
Barry hits a volley from 20 yards out but the ball flies well wide of the target.
Sorensen does well to punch the ball clear from Ashley Young's free-kick.
Ashley Young wins a corner for Villa after his 35 yard shot is deflected wide by Sonko.
And another chance for Stoke. This time Faye back-heeled the ball wide of the upright.
At last Stoke have a chance of their own. It was Beattie who caused problems in the Villa box but Sidibe fired wide.
Surely Stoke can't keep this up. It's Agbonlahor who fires in a shot this time but Sonko just managed to get the block in.
Stoke are living dangerously. Higginbotham hacks the ball off the line after Barry and Luke Young combined well on the right.
Milner sends another dangerous cross into the Stoke box but Sorensen races off his line to collect. Good early pressure from Villa.
Barry floats a cross to the back post but Agbonlahor just fails to reach it and Stoke clear.
Sonko slides in to deny Heskey just as the England striker was about to shoot on the edge of the box.
Wilkinson sends a long pass down the line looking for Beattie but the ball runs out for a goal kick.
Referee Howard Webb gets the game under way at a packed Villa Park.
The teams are out at Villa Park. A win for the home side will help to cement their place in the top four. Stoke will be hoping to drag themselves out of the relegation zone with a victory.
Stoke: Sorensen, Shawcross, Sonko, Higginbotham, Wilkinson, Diao, Amdy Faye, Pugh, Lawrence, Beattie, Sidibe.
Ibrahima Sonko comes in for Abdoulaye Faye for Stoke, while star striker Ricardo Fuller returns on the bench.
Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Knight, Davies, Luke Young, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Heskey.
Martin O'Neill reverts to his first team line up after fielding an inexperienced team for the Uefa Cup in midweek.
Aston Villa attempt to get their top-four push back on track when Stoke City make the short trip to Villa Park on Sunday. Martin O'Neill's side lost 1-0 at home to Chelsea last Saturday lunchtime, a result that finally ended their impressive 13-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. That sequence of results had propelled Villa up to third in the table, but last week's setback has prompted fears that O'Neill's squad could be suffering from fatigue. Their season began more than seven months ago with an Intertoto clash against Odense and they have already played 43 matches this term. However, they still have a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Arsenal and hold all the aces in the race for a top-four finish. Most of Villa's key players should be raring to go after being rested for the midweek UEFA Cup clash in Moscow. O'Neill left Gareth Barry, Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Carlos Cuellar and Stiliyan Petrov at home in an attempt to have them fresh for this weekend's game. Wilfred Bouma is close to a first-team return after six months out of action with a broken ankle but will not be risked against the Potters, while Nigel Reo-Coker (hamstring) and Martin Laursen (knee) also miss out. Meanwhile, Stoke's season is starting to unravel and they go into this weekend's fixtures only two points above the drop-zone. They have failed to win any of their 13 matches away from the Britannia Stadium this term and let two points slip out of their grasp when they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Portsmouth. Ill-discipline has cost Tony Pulis' team dear recently and two players - Matthew Etherington and Rory Delap - are suspended for the Villa game. Also missing are injured trio Leon Cort (groin), Ricardo Fuller (dislocated shoulder) and Stephen Kelly (hamstring).
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Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill's decision to play a weakened team in Moscow last week was only partly vindicated following a storming comeback by Stoke City to grab two goals in the last five minutes. Villa have now failed to win any of their last five league and cup games and they have only themselves to blame for dropping two points. They appeared to be home and dry following goals from Stiliyan Petrov and substitute John Carew, before Stoke launched their desperate late attacking onslaught which resulted in goals from Ryan Shawcross and Glenn Whelan. It was only after going two goals down that Stoke tossed away their defensive policy to throw caution to the wind and snatch an unlikely point. In the circumstances it was hardly surprising that Stoke should find themselves under heavy pressure at the outset. With only three points from their 13 away games, Stoke found themselves on the defensive against Villa side intent on making amends for their controversial mid-week UEFA Cup defeat in Moscow. At times the entire Stoke team were in their own penalty area in their bid to contain the all out attacking home side, but it was only when they themselves went forward that their fortunes changed dramatically. Andy Wilkinson had obviously been told to mark Ashley Young very closely but the young England player still managed to be create several good opening in an attempt to open up Stoke's dogged defence. Pumping long balls into the middle of Stoke's tightly packed rearguard was never likely to succeed and a little frustration crept into Villa's play in what was a one-sided game in the first half hour. Ironically, Villa were often thwarted by the confident handling of Thomas Sorensen, who was allowed to leave Villa on a free transfer last summer. James Beattie may have scored four goals in five outings for Stoke but the striker had little chance to shine or add to his tally on this occasion. The stalemate was finally broken in the 43rd minute. Petrov played a short ball to James Milner and took the return pass to fire home his first Premier League goal of the season and his first in the top-flight since last April. Stoke were forced to replace Sorensen with Steve Simonsen at half-time because of an arm injury. They also drafted Ricardo Fuller into the side after the break and he did make an impression when he broke through only to be denied a shooting opportunity by a timely tackle by Luke Young. The game appeared to have been settled in the 80th minute when John Carew hooked home a first-time shot from a Petrov pass for his sixth league goal of the season. It was only after this goal that Stoke attacked in depth with Whelan hitting the base of the post before Shawcross headed home a Beattie cross three minutes from time. This set up a stirring finish with Whelan firing through a packed defence for a last-ditch equaliser.
Corners
Fouls
Goal attempts
Shots off target
Offsides
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