Aston Villa claim famous win over Ajax
Thursday, 23 Oct 2008 22:41
Gareth Barry is back to being a fans favourite
Aston Villa have beaten Dutch giants Ajax 2-1 in a memorable Uefa Cup night at Villa Park this evening.
Villa were much the better side throughout and despite being pegged back to 1-1, a well taken goal from Gareth Barry insured they got a deserved win. A Martin Laursen header had given Villa an early lead and Ajax replied through Thomas Vermaelen.
In an electric atmosphere at Villa Park, the Aston Villa players started strongly and could have taken the lead when an Ashley Young ball into the penalty area was desperately cleared by the Ajax defence as Gabriel Agbonlahor was ready to pounce.
Martin O'Neill's men didn't have to wait long for their goal as it came from the resulting corner. Ajax goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer was caught flapping a Young corner and this allowed Laursen to head into an empty net.
Ajax were comfortable on the ball, but threatened very little as an attacking force. But poor Villa defending allowed the Dutch side to get back on level terms. The home side used zonal marking from an Ajax corner and this gave Vermaelen space, which he might not have got had he been man-marked, and the Belgium international thumped his header in off the bar.
Ajax could have taken a surprise lead when Villa failed to clear another Urby Emanuelsson corner and as Klaas Jan Huntelaar was about to slot the ball home, his team-mate Rasmus Lindgren barged into him from behind and Huntelaar's shot went wide as a result.
The impressive Young then had a golden chance to put Villa in the lead as he found himself free on the back post and when James Milner found him with an accurate cross, Young had time to compose himself for a shot on goal, but the winger snatched at the effort and dragged his shot wide.
With seconds to go till half-time, Nickey Shorey and Young combined well on the left-wing which resulted in Young fizzing the ball into the area and Barry coolly slotted the ball home for what turned out to be the winner.
After a pulsating first-half, the second-half promised much of the same. But it was a cagey game in the second period as Villa easily held on for the win. But worryingly for Villa fans, the night ended with the sight of Agbonlahor being stretchered off with an injury.
Elsewhere, it was a disastrous away night in the Uefa Cup for Portsmouth. Goals from Luis Aguiar, Wason Renteria and Osorio Alan condemned Pompey to a 3-0 away defeat at Braga.