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Post by Football News on Dec 13, 2014 17:18:17 GMT
West Bromwich Albion 1 - 0 Aston VillaCraig Gardner 72Craig Gardner, the former Aston Villa player, scored the winning goal as West Bromwich Albion won at home for the first time since September to climb three points above the relegation zone and alleviate the pressure on Alan Irvine. Gardner rifled home his first goal for the club after joining from Sunderland in the summer 18 minutes from time as Albion made heavy weather of capitalising on playing three quarters of the game against 10 men after Kieran Richardson was sent off for a reckless tackle on Stéphane Sessègnon. The future of both clubs’ managers has been under scrutiny this autumn after stuttering starts to the season but Aston Villa’s successive wins had given Paul Lambert some breathing space. Now Irvine can sleep a bit easier after a first victory in six attempts. Gardner’s breakthrough came after a sustained period of pressure culminated in Saido Berahino crossing, Brown Ideye and Sessègnon both having efforts blocked and the former Villa man striking the rebound beyond Brad Guzan to spark wild celebrations around the Hawthorns. Gardner was renowned as a goalscoring midfielder in his days at Villa Park under Martin O’Neill and at Birmingham City, his boyhood club, but this timely maiden Albion goal could prove hugely significant as West Brom seek some managerial stability almost exactly a year after dismissing Steve Clarke, which led to the ill-fated reign of Pepe Mel before Irvine’s appointment in the summer. Christian Benteke edged one shot narrowly wide and then sliced another wide in the dying minutes as Villa attempted to go six league games unbeaten for the first time under Lambert. But West Brom deservedly hung on. The home side had started confidently anyway, even before Richardson’s expulsion, with Sébastien Pocognoli cutting in from the left to test Brad Guzan with a fierce cross shot, and the presence of fresh attacking blood in Silvestre Varela, on his full Premier League debut, and Brown Ideye, on his first league start in three months, seemed to energise them. So when Richardson lost control and went lunging in on Sessègnon with his studs showing, leaving Mike Dean with little alternative but to produce a red card, Albion were offered a great opportunity to take control of the game. With Graham Dorrans and Gardner pushing on from a midfield anchored by James Morrison, Irvine’s side certainly dominated possession. And Villa, reverting to a 4-2-3 formation when they had the ball, were culpable in aiding their opponents by dropping so deep and often conceding possession cheaply, as they repeatedly went long in seeking Benteke. Albion were much better at keeping the ball but had only one other clearcut chance before the interval, Sessègnon side-footing his shot for Guzan to save superbly from point-blank range after Pocognoli’s pull-back.
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