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Tag: Aston Villa

  • EPL: Vardy scores twice as Leicester thrash Villa

    EPL: Vardy scores twice as Leicester thrash Villa

    Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers thought his side looked back to their best as Jamie Vardy ended his goal drought in their convincing 4-0 win over Aston Villa.

    The Foxes had only picked up two wins in their past eight Premier League games – and two points in their past four matches.

    They led through Harvey Barnes’ goal after the winger took advantage of visiting keeper Pepe Reina’s baffling decision to run out of his box.

    Vardy’s first touch after coming on was to score a penalty after Tyrone Mings’ handball, before he smashed in at the near post – his first goal in 10 games.

    Barnes scored his second from a Marc Albrighton cross.

    “It was a very, very good win. An important win,” said Rodgers. “The past few games we haven’t been at our level. In terms of attacking, we were much better this evening. After the first goal we went on and played very well.

    “We want to win and early on you could see our confidence wasn’t where it has been. The only way you regain that confidence is hard work and these players have been brilliant. Tonight the intensity was there and we didn’t give away too much.”

    Dean Smith’s Villa remain in the relegation zone after a fourth consecutive league defeat, and a fifth in all competitions.

    “Individual mistakes are costing us. We need to get better at it. Teams capitalise on our errors,” said Smith.

  • EPL: Son seals late victory for Mourinho

    EPL: Son seals late victory for Mourinho

    Son Heung-min’s stoppage time goal gave Tottenham a last-gasp victory in an entertaining game at Aston Villa as the visitors moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.

    The result means Jose Mourinho’s side have leapfrogged Sheffield United and are now a point behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand.

    Villa, who remain a point above the bottom three in 17th, made the stronger start and took the lead via Toby Alderweireld’s own goal – with the Spurs defender prodding Anwar El Ghazi’s cross past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

    The Belgian atoned for his error by equalising with a superb angled effort that flew into the top right corner of the Villa goal from 10 yards.

    Spurs, who always looked dangerous in attack, went in front when Steven Bergwijn won a penalty after being fouled by home defender Bjorn Engels.

    Son’s initial spot-kick was saved by Villa goalkeeper Pepe Reina, but the South Korean forward followed up to score and become the first Asian player to reach 50 Premier League goals.

    The hosts responded after the break with Engels heading in from a Jack Grealish corner to level the scores.

    However, another Engels mistake allowed Son to race clear late on to place the ball past Reina as Villa’s miserable run against sides in the top half of the table continued.

  • EPL: Aston Villa sign former Liverpool goalkeeper

    EPL: Aston Villa sign former Liverpool goalkeeper

    Aston Villa have signed former Liverpool and Spain goalkeeper Pepe Reina on loan from AC Milan for the rest of the season.

    The World Cup winner, 37, was in the stands as Villa lost 6-1 to Manchester City on Sunday.

    Villa needed to add to their goalkeeping options after England international Tom Heaton was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

    The 33-year-old suffered a knee injury on 1 January.

    Reina made 394 appearances for Liverpool between 2005 and 2013 before moving to Bayern Munich after a loan spell with Italian club Napoli.

    Heaton’s understudy Jed Steer, who was first choice during the club’s promotion from the Championship, is also out through injury.

    “We’ve managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience,” said Villa boss Dean Smith.

    “At the start of the summer we were looking for an experienced goalkeeper and brought in Tom Heaton. Unfortunately, his injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season but Pepe fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities.”

  • EFL: Iheanacho earns Leicester first-leg draw with Villa

    EFL: Iheanacho earns Leicester first-leg draw with Villa

    Kelechi Iheanacho’s equaliser gave Leicester City a deserved draw to leave the Carabao Cup semi-final against Aston Villa delicately poised after an entertaining encounter at the King Power Stadium.

    Substitute Iheanacho finished emphatically from Jamie Vardy’s pass with 16 minutes left to give The Foxes the reward their incessant second-half pressure merited to set up a tense second leg at Villa Park.

    Villa, struggling with injuries after goalkeeper Tom Heaton and striker Wesley were ruled out for the season, defended with organisation and resilience to protect the lead given to them after 28 minutes when Frederic Guilbert stole in at the far post to meet Anwar El Ghazi’s cross.

    Ezri Konsa’s header also struck the bar for Villa but Leicester applied most of the pressure with keeper Orjan Nyland saving twice from James Maddison and Vardy, who also shot just wide late on, before he was beaten by Iheanacho’s powerful strike from 12 yards.

    The second leg at Villa Park takes place on Tuesday, 28 January.

    BBC

  • Chelsea midfielder officially joins EPL rival

    Danny Drinkwater has joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season.

    The player arrived at the club’s training ground to undergo medical examinations on Tuesday and has sealed the move.

    Chelsea made this known in a statement on their official website on Tuesday.

    The statement read: “Danny Drinkwater will spend the rest of the season on loan in the Premier League at Aston Villa having returned to Chelsea following his loan spell at Burnley.

    “The 29-year-old completed his switch of loan clubs today (Tuesday). Villa of course have former Chelsea captain John Terry as assistant to Dean Smith and is where Tammy Abraham spent last season on loan.

    “Drinkwater made two appearances for Burnley following his temporary switch in August, with his time at Turf Moor disrupted by injuries.

    “He featured in a Carabao Cup defeat to Sunderland a few weeks after his move, as well as a Premier League encounter with Manchester City at the start of last month.

    The Midlands club will pay his entire £110,000 per week wages.

  • Chelsea midfielder set for Aston Villa move

    Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater is set to complete a loan move to Aston Villa for the rest of the season.

    Drinkwater has arrived at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground to complete a medical and the move is expected to be completed on Tuesday.

    The 29-year-old has three England caps and helped Leicester City win the Premier League in 2015-16.

    But he has failed to make an impact at Chelsea following his £40m move from the Foxes in 2017.

    He has made just 12 Premier League appearances for the Blues in that time, and returned to the club this month after an unsuccessful loan period at Burnley during the first half of the season.

    Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is keen to strengthen in midfield after John McGinn suffered a fractured ankle in the home defeat by Southampton in December which is expected to keep him out for three months.

     

  • Carabao Cup: Aston Villa hit five past Liverpool to reach semi-final

    Aston Villa on Tuesday night eased into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after walloping the youngest side in Liverpool’s history 5-0.

    Liverpool’s first team are out in Qatar ahead of the Club World Cup semi-final against Mexican side Monterrey on Wednesday, meaning that 11 changes were made and five debuts were handed out from the start as U23 boss Neil Critchley took charge at Villa Park.

    Conor Hourihane’s fortunate free-kick put Villa in front, a Morgan Boyes own goal doubled their lead shortly after and Jonathan Kodjia added two more before the break. Wesley, who replaced Kodjia as a late substitute, ended a nine-game barren run with a stoppage-time fifth.

    The result put Villa through to their first Carabao Cup semi-final since 2013, where they will face one of the six sides in action on Wednesday night.

  • Aston Villa bounce Liverpool out of Carabao cup

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  • Man City beat Villa to close gap on Liverpool

    Man City beat Villa to close gap on Liverpool

    Manchester City cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table to three points after seeing off a determined Aston Villa side with three second-half goals.

    Liverpool can restore their six-point advantage if they beat Tottenham on Sunday but, after dropping points last weekend, the Reds go into that game knowing they have the defending champions breathing down their neck.

    But while this ended up being a routine win for Pep Guardiola’s side, they had to work hard and wait to break down a well-organised Villa side.

    The visitors had largely frustrated City in the first half but their resistance lasted for only 20 seconds after the restart.

    After Villa squandered possession from their own kick-off, Ederson’s long punt forward was flicked on by Gabriel Jesus and into the path of Sterling, who made no mistake.

    Jesus should have made it 2-0 soon afterwards when a mistake by Bjorn Engels left him clean through, but a combination of a Tom Heaton save and a brilliant goal-line clearance by Tyrone Mings denied him.

    City had to wait until the 65th minute for their second goal, which confusingly was eventually awarded to David Silva, after a long delay for a VAR decision that had concluded it was Kevin de Bruyne’s goal.

    It was unclear at first glance whether Silva or Raheem Sterling, who would have been offside from a Silva touch, had got a deflection on De Bruyne’s wicked curling cross but after a four-minute delay that was met with derision by both sets of fans, it was ruled it had gone straight in and was allowed to stand.

    However, some time after the final whistle, the goal accreditation panel – an independent entity which has no affiliation with VAR – awarded the goal to Silva, who had wheeled away in celebration.

    Nonetheless, Ilkay Gundogan made absolutely sure of the points a few moments later, when Fernandinho’s shot was cleared into his path, and he expertly adjusted his body to put away a fine first-time finish.

    The hosts finished the game with 10 men after Fernandinho was shown a second yellow card.

    BBC

  • Aston Villa sign Egypt winger Trezeguet

    Aston Villa have signed on Egypt international Mahmoud Hassan, better known by his nickname “Trezeguet’’, from Turkish side Kasimpasa, the newly-promoted English Premier League (EPL) side said on Wednesday.
    Aston Villa did not disclose financial details of the deal, but reports in the media reported they had paid 8.75 million pounds for the winger.
    The 24-year-old started his career with Egyptian side Al Ahly and had a stint at Anderlecht in Belgium before moving to Turkey.
    He played for Egypt at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia and at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored one goal in four appearances.
    “We’re really excited to work with `Trez’,” head coach Dean Smith said in a statement, after completing Villa’s ninth signing of a busy close season. “I’ve watched him a number of times.
    “He’s the type of wide player that we have been looking for who is direct, causes problems for the opposition in the final third and scores goals.”